  | Freedom over me : eleven slaves, their lives and dreams brought to life Author: Bryan, Ashley | |
| Price: $6.50 | ||
Summary:
Using original slave auction and plantation estate documents, contrasts the monetary value of a slave with the priceless value of life experiences and dreams that a slave owner could never take away.
Download a Teacher's Guide
| Accelerated Reader Information: Interest Level: MG Reading Level: 4.60 Points: 1.0 Quiz: 185729 | Reading Counts Information: Interest Level: 3-5 Reading Level: 4.50 Points: 3.0 Quiz: 70556 | |
Awards:
Newbery Honor, 2017
Coretta Scott King Author Honor, 2017
Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor, 2017
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (07/15/16)
School Library Journal (12/01/16)
Booklist (+) (08/01/16)
The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (00/10/16)
The Hornbook (+) (00/11/16)
Full Text Reviews:
Booklist - 08/01/2016 *Starred Review* Inspired by a document appraising the value of 11 enslaved people (along with livestock and cotton) in an estate for sale in the antebellum South, this exceptional book presents the imagined faces and voices of individuals whose society, against all reason, regarded them as less than human. Each person appears in a four-page section, opening with a page of free-verse text opposite a riveting head-and-shoulders portrait with a grim collage background of slavery-related documents. A banner reveals the person’s appraised value, master-imposed slave name, and age. In the text, these individuals introduce themselves, their roles on the estate, and the skills (cooking, blacksmithing, sewing) they take pride in. On the second double-page spread, a verse text offers more personal reflections on their African roots, their love of family, and their dreams, while a more detailed, colorful painting expresses their heritage, their strength, and their rich inner lives. Their humanity shines through, showing the tragedy of their status and the gross absurdity of assigning prices to people. Longing for freedom is a constant theme, made all the more poignant by the appraisal document’s date: 1828, decades before emancipation. Clean and spare, the verse brings the characters to life, while in the radiant artwork, their spirits soar. Rooted in history, this powerful, imaginative book honors those who endured slavery in America. - Copyright 2016 Booklist.
School Library Journal - 12/01/2016 Gr 4–6—Documents related to an 1828 estate sale that included, along with hogs and cows, the names and prices of 11 individuals, were the genesis of this tribute to the lives, talents, and community of generations of those who were treated as property and whose humanity was disregarded. Bryan's expressive portrait art allows readers to peer into the faces of these men and women, while his poems unmask their hopes and aspirations. - Copyright 2016 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.
