Journey to a Promised Land: A Story of the Exodusters
Journey to a Promised Land: A Story of the Exodusters
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North Star Editions
Just the Series: I Am America   

Series and Publisher: I Am America   

Annotation: Hattie Jacobs dreams of becoming a teacher. But her parents were formerly enslaved and are struggling to survive in Nashville after Reconstruction. So the Jacobs family joins the Great Exodus of 1879 to Kansas.
 
Reviews: 2
Catalog Number: #181926
Format: Library Binding
Copyright Date: 2019
Edition Date: 2019 Release Date: 01/01/19
Illustrator: Freeberg, Eric,
Pages: 148 pages
ISBN: 1-631-63275-2
ISBN 13: 978-1-631-63275-4
Dewey: Fic
LCCN: 2018038112
Dimensions: 20 cm.
Language: English
Reviews:
Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews (Thu Apr 28 00:00:00 CDT 2022)

Hattie's parents decide to join the movement of free blacks from their home state of Tennessee west to Kansas for the opportunities in bourgeoning black communities, but the journey is harder than they anticipated.Since Emancipation, Hattie's parents have sought every opportunity, from pursuing education to opening a successful blacksmith shop. They work hard but want for nothing: Their community supports Papa's business, Hattie's teacher believes in her, and while the white woman for whom Hattie does chores is unpleasant company, she pays Hattie a helpful wage. But a man named Singleton comes to town announcing opportunities in Kansas—including free land and all-black towns. When the harassment from Papa's former master becomes violent, Hattie's parents decide to make the long journey. The perils along the way are no Little House adventure, and when they arrive, they are disappointed with the basic living conditions compared to where they came from. Yet the story is more suspenseful than scary, and Hattie's happy, loving, free black family shows a side of American history not often pictured. Historical details are seamlessly woven into the plot through Hattie's eyes, and half-page pencil illustrations bring her family to life. With cliffhangers and characters to care about, and enough homesteading to interest fans of books about "pioneers," this well-written volume fills a major gap in historical fiction. (author's note, photos, map) (Historical fiction. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

Hattie's parents decide to join the movement of free blacks from their home state of Tennessee west to Kansas for the opportunities in bourgeoning black communities, but the journey is harder than they anticipated.Since Emancipation, Hattie's parents have sought every opportunity, from pursuing education to opening a successful blacksmith shop. They work hard but want for nothing: Their community supports Papa's business, Hattie's teacher believes in her, and while the white woman for whom Hattie does chores is unpleasant company, she pays Hattie a helpful wage. But a man named Singleton comes to town announcing opportunities in Kansas—including free land and all-black towns. When the harassment from Papa's former master becomes violent, Hattie's parents decide to make the long journey. The perils along the way are no Little House adventure, and when they arrive, they are disappointed with the basic living conditions compared to where they came from. Yet the story is more suspenseful than scary, and Hattie's happy, loving, free black family shows a side of American history not often pictured. Historical details are seamlessly woven into the plot through Hattie's eyes, and half-page pencil illustrations bring her family to life. With cliffhangers and characters to care about, and enough homesteading to interest fans of books about "pioneers," this well-written volume fills a major gap in historical fiction. (author's note, photos, map) (Historical fiction. 8-12)

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Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews (Thu Apr 28 00:00:00 CDT 2022)
Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)
Reading Level: 5.0
Interest Level: 4-7
Lexile: 670L

Hattie Jacobs has a secret dream: to go to school to become a teacher. But her parents were formerly enslaved and are struggling to survive in Nashville, Tennessee, after Reconstruction. When the Jacobs family joins the Great Exodus of 1879 to Kansas, their journey in search of a better life is filled with danger and hardship. Will they make it to the Mississippi River unharmed? What will be waiting for them in Kansas, and will it live up to their dreams? It's the storytellers who preserve a nation's history. But what happens when some stories are silenced? The I Am America series features fictional stories based on important historical events from people whose voices have been underrepresented, lost, or forgotten over time.


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