Author: Roni Schotter
Recommended Age: 8-11
Date Published: 2000
Genre: Historical Fiction
Summary: Until the fateful night Amanda heard a slave baby cry, she had no idea that her parents were conductors on the Underground Railroad. When Amanda herself is tasked with protecting and helping a slave family get to freedom, can she be strong enough to guide them through unknown territory and escape north to freedom?
Notes from The Radical Reader:
- Noble Characters: Amanda’s simple play-acting games were always in fun, until the night she used her acting to save the lives of a family of runaway slaves and lead the constable away from their home. From that moment on, this little girl was awakened to the horrors of slavery and the important role of the Underground Railroad.
- Captivating Plots: Runaway slaves. Suspicious constables. Can Amanda guide a family of runaway slaves to freedom before they are caught, or will she be the reason the family is sent back into slavery?
- Elaborate Worlds: Set in the years preceding the American Civil War, a slave’s escape led them along the Underground Railroad and north towards freedom. Conductors like Amanda’s family risked everything to bring fugitives to the northern states, and even as far north as Canada. Through one little girl’s eyes, we see the terrifying prospects and painful threats of this journey, and the heroic actions of brave men and women seeking freedom.
