Almost to Freedom

by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson

Other authorsColin Bootman (Illustrator)

Paperback, 2003

Status

Available

Description

Tells the story of a young girl's dramatic escape from slavery via the Underground Railroad, from the perspective of her beloved rag doll.

Genres

Children's Books

Publication

Scholastic Publishing (2003)

Media reviews

Teaching Lit

This story is set in the 1800s. It is about a girl named Lindy and her family’s Underground Railroad experience. The book is told through the eyes of Lindy’s beloved rag doll, Sally. Lindy’s mom, Miz Rachel, makes Sally, and she and Lindy instantly become best friends: they eat, sleep, and

even pick cotton on the plantation together. Wherever Lindy goes, so does Sally. So, when Lindy’s family decides to escape to freedom, Sally goes along to. One night while hiding in a basement, slave catchers approach. In a haste to leave, Sally is left behind. Sally is alone in the dark basement, and she worries that she will never be found. But soon, another escaping family comes along. Sally becomes the new owner of Willa, who changes her name to Belinda.

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Publishers Weekly

As she explains in an author's note, Nelson... was inspired to write this story by a folk art museum's exhibit of black rag dolls, a few of which were discovered in Underground Railroad hideouts. Narrating this touching tale is a doll named Sally.... Through Sally's perceptive eyes, readers catch a

hard-hitting glimpse of slave life.... A captivating account of escape via the Underground Railroad includes many suspenseful moments, among them a hasty departure from a safehouse that results in Lindy's inadvertently leaving Sally behind. ... Nelson's writing is immediate and often lyrical. Yet it is Bootman's... realistic paintings, distinctive for their skillful use of light and darkness, that best convey the story's pathos and urgency. Ages 6-10.

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