Nightjohn (Sarny)

This book is about a slave who was teaching other slaves to read and write against the will of slave owners. He wanted them to learn to read and write so that they could tell their story someday.
In the classroom, I would use this book to teach about the bad times of slavery.
I would use this book

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for grades 3 through 8.

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Nightjohn tells the story of a young slave girl who desires to learn to read and the male slave willing to risk life and limb to teach other slaves to read.
I enjoyed this book, though it was short and moved extremely quickly. Despite this quick pace, it was able to build suspense, while also

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conveying the importance and value of being able to read. The book can be graphic at times, but never to the point of excess, and never to a point of being unrealistic from a historical standpoint. Nightjohn forces readers to consider just how much they would value the ability to read if they were forced into a situation where that skill was not allowed.

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Read this book so many years ago, had to reread it. Just as good as I remember. Would be a great book for a young adult to read to give them an *idea* of what slaves had to go through when it came to reading. Felt bad for John and adored him at the same time.

This book is set in the time of slavery. Night Johnwants to teach the children to read and write so one day they can write their story.Sarny trades Night John tobacco for learning letters. When Sarny learns her first word she forgets to becarefull and gets caught. NightJohn stands up and confesses

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he was the one who taught her. After he heals from the punishment he leaves. John came back after he started the school and Sarny would sneak out to learn!
This is a very easy read book. However with the whips and other punshments it may not be a book for young elementary readers.

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This book is written at a 4th grade reading level and would be perfect for a unit on slavery. I hated reading this book at times because of how awful some of the things were that happened in it. This book is so well written and very accurately and descriptively portrays events. It appeals to all

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senses. It is about a man named Nightjohn who escaped from slavery but returned in order to teach others how to read so that what happened could be documented. Sarny, one of his students and fellow slaves, tells this story. I highly recommend it!

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Nightjohn, is a book about the many facets of slavery. I had a hard time reading this book, but was unable to put it down. It was so real, and such a sad story, with a happy ending. I would suggest this book to teachers who would like to add to their lessons on slavery and diversity. I would also

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suggest this book to children no younger than 5th grade, as it contains graphic details, and difficult topics.

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This book uses vocabulary that quite possibly could have been what was used by a young African American girl who grew up in that generation of slavery. After getting used to the usage of the words, it it a touching story that includes great detail of pain, setting, and characters.

This is about a book about slavery. It is a very sad book. I would use this book for grades 5-7. It is a chapter book. I would use this in a classroom to teach about history and how slavery was.

This novel was intense to read and at times, graphic as well. The story is shares many tragedies that have happened to slaves and how they chose to overcome them. It is about a man who is decided to stay in slavery and go from slave owner to slave owner, even after he had escaped and made it to the

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south, because he wanted to teach the other slaves to read and write. He believed that they should read and write because people had to know what was happening to them. This book is intended for older readers because of the content. I would recommend reading this book when learning about slavery.

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Night john escapes slavery but goes back to teach others how to read and write. I would show the children that even though night john escapes he still goes back to teach others so that what they are doing can be documented, which Sarny his student is the one telling this story. I would say this is

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a 5th grade reading level.

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I listened to this story on audiobook and I highly recommend it. Paulsen's writing hits you like a punch to the gut, leaving you breathless, and paired with Michele Denise-Woods' reading, this story will envelope you as you're listening. The only downside? I want more! I want to know what happens

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to our sweet, courageous protagonist. I want to know what happens to Nightjohn. But, thankfully, listeners are, at least, left with a nice surprise. Gary Paulsen actually speaks about his inspiration for this book, Sally Hemmings, and you can tell how deeply her story has affected him. And it so shows in his writing. I could listen to Paulsen talk for days. He's incredibly moving. So, if you're up for a sad, yet hopeful, and very quick listen, pick this up. And definitely stick around for Paulsen's bit at the end.

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This book had great qualities to it. I really enjoyed the content. It told a great story and I would be happy to teach this book to future students.

I enjoyed this book for a few different reasons. One thing that I liked was how the author used the African American dialect form back then through the entire novel. Such as when he writes, “all I know for a mammy is the one who raised me, old Delie, and she be the one who raises all the

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young.” I also liked this book, because of the detail the author provided, such as when he described the scars on Nightjohn back, “the skin across his shoulders raised in ripples, thick as my hand, up and down his back onto his rear end and down his legs some.
The main message of this story was the hardships African Americans faced during the Civil War time period

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Inspired by true events, Gary Paulsen's NightJohn gives insight into the connections between education and freedom for American slaves. Sarny is a quiet and curious young girl whose world is opened up by a brave new fieldworker, NightJohn, who has dedicated himself to teaching slaves to read and

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write. Written from Sarny's perspective and in her own language, this story gives readers an authentic insight into the cruel realities of American History and the grassroots struggles for freedom. Paulsen's plot is easy enough to follow-he only leads up to the point at which NightJohn sets up his school, and it is up to the reader to speculate on the eventual effect of such efforts. Physical details of life on the farm can be plucked out of Sarny's narrative with some subtlety, but the emotional effects are laid out bare: readers are given every opportunity to imagine the pain, despair and eventual hope that permeate Sarny's daily life. Highly recommended for both school and public libraries.

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This is a very captivating story of a girl, Sarny, growing up in slavery. The story is very honest and sincere about the true brutality of the life of slaves and is graphically detailed.
The book is sad yet it leaves the reader with a feeling of hope and optimism.

Because of the brutality, I would

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recommend using the story with children ages 9-10+
Grade 5+

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This book follows the story of Sarny, a young African American, as she learns to read and write with the help of another slave named Nightjohn. This story would be great for children in 4 grade and above because it contains some graphic material but it would allow for in-depth conversations about

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the effects of slavery.

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This inspiring historical novel can be used as a great tool during a social studies lesson. It is about a slave who was able to escape to the north, yet had the courage to return south in order to help other slaves read and write. Students will be able to learn about the horrific happenings during

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the time of slavery, while also gaining a sense of what it takes to be courageous and full of willpower. The compelling story is graphic in nature, making this read best suited for mature readers, grades 5th-8th.

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This was a great story on slavery and the different aspects of it. The young male slave is new to a plantation and soon starts teaching another slave to read and write, which is illegal. This would be a great story to incorporate into a classroom, for a lesson about slavery. Loved the story because

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it was the perfect length and just the right amount of detail. Loved it!

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This book is a portrayal of slavery. Nightjohn is on a mission to teach illiterate children to read and write in order to be able to write about the past later in life. To tell the story of slavery. The book is beneficial for children to learn how difficult life was for slaves and what life was

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like for them. This book would be good for children ages 8-12.

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I liked this book and the author was able to pack in a lot of powerful information in 70 pages. Although it was hard for me to understand at first, I really liked the language used in this book. The characters spoke with African American Vernacular dialect and it was hard to read at first. But, I

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believe it helped the book seem more realistic and it made the me feel like I was there, observing these horrible events. For example a line in the book said, "Why they be cutting our thumbs off if we learn to read". This type of language that the characters used showed how they were uneducated. The author did a wonderful job portraying the characters also. Nightjohn was so brave and he did everything he could to educate these children, regardless of the consequences. Sarny, the main character was portrayed very well and the reader often felt sympathy for her. Although she was uneducated, she was smart and brave. For example, she said "I just be so quiet and listen all the time that I learn things". This shows how smart she was and how she wanted to learn more even if it wasn't allowed. The main idea in this book is to stay hopeful and stay brave and hopeful.

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I was truly impressed by this novel and really enjoyed it. I liked it because of is descriptive, colorful language. Paulsen did an amazing job of using vocabulary that was able to really paint a picture of what was happening in the text, and really give the reader a picture of what was happening.

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For example, "I'm brown. Same as dark sassafras tea. But I had seen black people, true black. And Nightjohn was that way. Beautiful. So black he was like the marble stone by the front of the white house; so black it seemed I could see inside, down into him. See almost through him somehow" (28). I also like this book because it is told from the first person view of Sarny, an illiterate ten year old slave girl who is being taught illegally to read by Nightjohn. By telling it from her point of view, we get a real sense of the danger in teaching her to read, as well as the necessity in teaching her to read, as her illiteracy is apparent in the way Paulsen writes her voice. The main idea of this story is to do what what you believe is right, despite others thinking it might not be.

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A piece of history that I did not know until I read this book. Although the descriptive language is very graphic and terrorizing, the author did a great job sharing this piece of history with its readers. I liked this book a lot because of its message. Years ago, African Americans were portrayed as

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illiterate and to read about an African American man who risked his life to educate his people, well that right there is just heroic to me. I believe that education is life; without it you have nothing. I do not recommend that anyone under the age of 10 should read this book because of how graphic it is, but it's history. The author's idea of using the southern dialect in the book was brilliant! What better way to teach readers? A little complicated to read at first because of the southern dialect, but after a while I got used to it. Excellent book!

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The main idea of this book is to portray the horrific and cruel circumstances into which many African Americans were forced during the time of slavery in the United States. This book also shows the importance of education and courageous acts.
I had mixed feelings about this book. One reason I

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enjoyed this book was because of the character Nightjohn. His unwavering courage and strength in horrifying situations is absolutely inspiring. For example, Nightjohn was whipped many times and even had his toes cut off by his master because he was teaching other slaves to read. Yet, he continued on, never wavering in his pursuit of education for the slaves. This type of persistence and courage, even to the point of unimaginable pain, is just stunning to me.
I also liked this book because of the powerful message it sends about the importance of education and literacy. For example, after Nightjohn had escaped to freedom, he returns to slavery in order to teach other slaves how to read. He endures terrible torture all in the name of education. I think this shows just how precious education is, and how we should always be grateful for our freedom to learn today.
I had mixed feelings about this book because of the extremely graphic depictions of slavery. For example, we read about whippings, removal of appendages, rubbing salt in wounds, etc. While I understand that these are realistic and send an extremely powerful message, I felt that it might have been a bit too violent, especially considering the young adult readers to whom the book is geared. As a college student, I had difficulty reading through some of the passages and found them very upsetting and disturbing. However, I do understand the purpose and merit of these scenes. While I personally found them, in a sense, overly graphic, I do recognize that these scenes will have a lasting, powerful impact on all readers, and will truly imprint the atrocities of slavery in their minds.

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I really loved the writing style of this book. I could tell that the author wanted it to sound like a slave had written it. There were a lot of sentence fragments and grammatical errors that would be typical of someone with no education, like the main character Sarney. For example, “Come a hard

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time. Come a awful, hard time,” and “But they’s some of them to cry,” show that the narrator does not have an understanding of sentence structure and grammar rules (p. 42 and 55). I also loved how descriptive the language was. When the narrator described the breathing of the slave owner, she said, “Breath cut in, cut out like a saw cutting wood,” (p. 64). I had never thought of someone’s breathing as a saw before, but I could clearly imagine what harsh and angry breaths he was taking. At times, I felt the book was disturbing because of the treatment of the slaves, but I gained a better understanding of the hardships and maltreatment of African Americans. The purpose of this book was to describe the attitudes of white slave owners on the education of African Americans. The powerful book shows the lengths a slave would go to learn and teach other how to read and write.

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