intense Newbery

1974's winner: The Slave Dancer, Paula Fox

Yikes. This book was...umm...unhappy. INTENSE. A young boy is kidnapped and taken aboard a ship bound for Africa; the boy learns that though the U.S. no longer supports the stealing of Africans (to be brought into the Americas and sold) some captains still make the dangerous voyages. The story paints a vivid picture of the cruelty involved in acquiring slaves, and the miseries of life at sea among an untrustworthy group of men. This book is like a mini kids edition of parts of Roots. Holy cats! It was intense, though important, for sure.

The Slave Dancer isn't a book you would read for pleasure, that's for sure, but this book might work well in a school unit on slavery. One thing to be aware of is the use of the "n," word, which pops up a bit.

Recommend it? To teachers
Age: Amazon lists 10+

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