Monday, November 16, 2020

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday # MMGM Book Review: Unbound: A Novel in Verse by Ann E. Burg

 

Grace has been raised in slavery. She lives with her mama, Uncle Jim, and her brother is in a small cabin where they share nightly stories and love. But when Grace gets called to the Big House her mama is worried because Grace has a tendency to say what she thinks. That won’t do up there. Warned to keep her eyes down and her mouth closed Grace goes off to the Big House alone, unsure of what she is stepping into. She soon sees that things are even harder at the Big House than they were at the small cabin. The Missus of the house is mean to the core, and seems to take pleasure in asking Grace and the other slaves to do things twice or a third time.  Luckily a kindly woman in the kitchen befriends Grace and tries to help steer her through the tricky situations.  Unfortunately, Grace sees an injustice and doesn’t hold her tongue. She worries because she has she puts her whole family in danger. It gets even worse when she overhears the Master say they are going to sell her mama, or her brothers, or her. She can’t believe her family will no longer be together, and it’s her fault. Grace knows she has to get word to her mama and they may need to be on the run. What will they do? Where will they go? Is it even possible to flee to safety on the spur of the moment? Is freedom a possibility? Are the rumors of safety at the Great Dismal Swamp a reality? You’ll have to read this adventure and heartwarming story to find out.

Unbound: A Novel in Verse by Ann E. Burg is a beautifully written story that will draw the reader right in. I enjoyed that this book is historical fiction and the characters tugged at my heart. I completely agreed with Grace’s questions and the things she thought weren’t fair. Unfortunately, during slavery those questions and looks could get someone whipped, or even worse. I would have felt the same way as Grace because no human should be treated the way slaves were treated. Reading her story reminds readers of this horrible time in history, but her spirit gives you hope. I loved seeing the way her family connected with each other and how much they all loved each other. I also liked learning about what happened to the family and hoped they would make it to the freedom they so deserved. I won’t tell you what happens, but trying to make it to freedom was a dangerous journey and the outcome wasn’t guaranteed. The author’s note at the end helped me learn a lot about some parts of slavery, the Underground Railroad, aspects of escaping that I did not know about, and the Great Dismal Swamp which I had never heard of before. I recommend this book to people who like books told in verse, historical fiction, and characters and stories that stay with you. This is a story that should not be missed.

Has anyone else read Unbound: A Novel in Verse? Or have you read another book by Ann E. Burg? We would love to hear your thoughts!

Happy reading!

~L

For other MMGM posts, please visit Greg Pattridge's blog.

14 comments:

  1. I've heard of the Underground Railroad but not the Great Dismal Swamp.

    ReplyDelete
  2. What a wonderful way to introduce younger readers to history - and a reminder that the quest for freedom and justice for all continues.
    Thank you for featuring yet another book I haven't read (and would love to).

    ReplyDelete
  3. I haven't read this story but historical fiction is one of my favorite subjects. Thanks for mentioning it.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I haven't read many novels in verse, but I'm getting into them more this year. Thanks for this recommendation and having it as a part of MMGM today. I've added it to my future read list.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Sounds good. I will see if I can get it on my Kindle. Have a good and safe week, Valerie

    ReplyDelete
  6. I haven't heard of this book but it sounds really powerful. I'd love to learn more about the Underground Railroad. I'll keep my eye out for this one. Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  7. You had me hooked at the beginning of your review. I have read a lot of books on slavery, but have never heard of the Great Dismal Swamp -- which makes me very curious. Will add this to my list.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I haven't seen this book or author, but it sounds like a really important story! I've definitely realized I know way less about slavery than I thought I did, so I'm glad books like this exist to inform people of what they thought they already knew but didn't. Thanks for the great post!

    ReplyDelete
  9. What a great plot!! Something to definitely want to read further about!

    betty

    ReplyDelete
  10. Sounds very good ...
    There are so many good books out there, my reading list gets longer by the day!

    Have a good week.
    Stay safe and well.

    All the best Jan

    ReplyDelete
  11. I had heard of this book but it fell off my radar. I'm pushing it up my TBR list. I really want to read it after reading your review. Thanks for the post.

    ReplyDelete
  12. This looks good! I'll have to check it out...

    ReplyDelete
  13. Wow! This sounds like a wonderfully powerful read. That it introduces history to children in this way can only be a good thing.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for stopping by and commenting. We love to hear your thoughts! We had to turn on comment moderation due to a high volume of spam. Fairday's Blog is no longer accepting awards. We appreciate all the nominations that we have received and are honored to have been mentioned! Happy Reading!

Twitter Bird Gadget Twitter Bird Gadget