by Monica Edinger ; illustrated by Robert Byrd. Publishers Weekly In her first book for children, Edinger fuses fact and fiction, despair and hope in the story of a nine-year-old girl taken from her Sierra Leona homeland. After being sold to slave traders, Margru is banished to the "dark and airless" hold of a ship bound for Cuba, represented by a stark, all-black spread: "Seven weeks of chains and shackles. Seven weeks of sobs and cries." In Havana, a white man buys Margru and three other children, and they are forced onto the Amistad. Margru provides an immediate account of the infamous slave mutiny onboard and the perpetrators' imprisonment and trials in Connecticut; the Africans are eventually freed and sent home, where Margru later becomes a teacher. Margru's descriptions of the strangeness of life in America and her homesickness for Sierra Leona are incisive and heartbreaking. Meticulously incorporated throughout the book's design, along with reproductions of archival materials, Byrd's (Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!) folk art-style ink-and-watercolor illustrations vividly capture the landscapes and people of West Africa, Cuba, and the U.S. Ages 10-up. Author's agent: Stephen Barbara, Foundry Literary + Media. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved. (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved Book list This fictionalized version of a true account gives readers a look into a neglected piece of history: the story of the Amistad told from a child's point of view. We are introduced to 9-year-old Magulu, who is sold into slavery and ends up a passenger on the slave ship Amistad. After a mutiny, Magulu finds herself in New England with three other child passengers, where their freedom is fought over all the way to the Supreme Court. Meanwhile, Magulu spends time going to school, learning English, and meeting supporters who fight for her right to return to Africa. Edinger fills her novel with facts, research, and rich historical details. The storybooklike narrative of a child torn between two worlds is captivating, and Byrd's finely lined color illustrations add to the story, as do reproductions of historical documents. An author's note gives readers additional information and the inspiration as to where Edinger found her source material.--Thompson, Sarah Bean Copyright 2010 Booklist From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission. |
        |
|
