Stealing Freedom

by Elisa Carbone Narrated by Not Yet Available

Overview

Twelve-year-old Ann Maria Weems works from sunup to sundown, wraps rags around her feet in the winter, and must do whatever her master or mistress orders--but she has something that many plantation slaves don't have. She has her wonderful family around her. To Ann, her teasing brothers, her older sister, and her protective and loving parents are everything. And then one day, they are gone.

Separated from her family by her master and shipped off as a housemaid, Ann learns something about independence and about love before the opportunity for escape arrives. A white man risks his life for Ann, cuts her hair short, dresses her like a boy, and launches her on her journey on the Underground Railroad to Canada, her family, and finally to freedom.

Until she was a teenager, Ann Maria Weems lived in the mid-1800s near the author's home in Maryland. This fictionalized account of her extraordinary life is ideal for students, teachers, and parents hungry for interesting and informative reading in African-American history and the Underground Railroad.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

In a starred review,PW called this novel, based on the life of a slave who disguised herself as a boy and escaped at age 13, "dramatic, often poignant." Ages 10-up. (Jan.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

School Library Journal

Gr 6-10--A deftly crafted story, based on the life of Ann Maria Weems, who was born into slavery in Maryland in the 1840s. Despite the grim realities of her situation, Ann Maria grows up secure in the love of her family. However, her master's debts are many and so her beloved brothers are sold without warning. Abolitionists are able to buy the freedom of the rest of the family, but the master refuses to part with Ann Maria. She suffers regularly at the hands of her mistress, a woman barren, it seems, in both body and soul. At first, Ann Maria nearly succumbs to depression and grief but gradually begins to carve out a life of her own as best she can. She surreptitiously teaches herself to read and falls in love with a neighbor's slave, Alfred. She promises never to leave without him, but there is nothing she can do when she is "kidnapped" by abolitionists and has no way to contact him. Carbone then details the actual route the young woman took and the dangers she faced on the Underground Railroad to Canada. While it is known that the real Alfred escaped to freedom, it is not known whether he and Ann Maria were ever reunited. But there is one source that has led some to believe that they eventually married and it is upon this joyful note that the tale concludes. In the author's note, Carbone sketches the extent of her exhaustive research and provides as much further data on the characters as possible. This is a fine piece of historical fiction with a strong, appealing heroine.--Peggy Morgan, The Library Network, Southgate, MI

Kirkus Reviews

This compelling tale of a passenger on the Underground Railroad is entirely populated with historical figures; not since Gary Paulsen's Nightjohn (1993) has the physical and emotional impact of slavery been made so palpable.

From the Publisher

"A deftly crafted story with a strong, appealing heroine." — School Library Journal, Starred

"Imaginatively and sensitively adapted from historical records, [Stealing Freedom] will evoke admiration for the courage of both those who resisted slavery and those who endured it." — Publishers Weekly, Starred

"Riveting . . . a thrilling and hopeful novel." — Columbus Dispatch

School Library Journal - Audio

Gr 5–8—The Underground Railroad takes center stage in Elisa Carbone's story of the Weems family who live as slaves in Maryland in the mid 1800s. John, the father, is a free man, but the rest of his family is owned, mistreated, and sold whenever the master feels like it. After three sons are sold, John buys freedom for his wife and one daughter with the help of the Vigilance Committee, a group of northerners dedicated to helping slaves escape. The master refuses to sell the Weems's 12-year-old daughter, Ann Maria. Determined to obtain freedom for his entire family, John secures passage for Ann Maria on the Underground Railroad with the help of a white abolitionist so that she can join the family in Canada. To survive the journey, Ann Maria is cleverly disguised as a boy who works as a horse and carriage driver. Carbone's historical novel is based on the life of a slave named Anna Marie Weems and much of the information has been culled from primary source documents. Robin Miles's narration is strong, but a bit bland, and utilizes some unusual pronunciations for homographs (primer, short-lived). That aside, this , compelling audiobook t, will be useful in social studies classes serving upper elementary and middle school students.—Joan Kindig, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA

APRIL 2012 - AudioFile

In this story of a young girl’s escape from slavery via the Underground Railroad—based on the true story of Ann Maria Weems—Robin Miles brings the struggles and triumphs of one slave family to life with her expressive voice and emotional reading. Miles captures the vocal cadences of these Maryland slaves, and her deep tones, even and tempered but never meek, transport the listener into their lives. The stilted Irish brogue of the Prices, the family that owns Ann and her family, is a counterpoint to the voices of the close-knit Weems family. As Ann, assisted by abolitionists, makes her escape to Canada, she encounters many who help her—from the lawyer Mr. Bigelow, who is portrayed in a straightforward, relaxed voice, to the minister who accompanies Ann on the train across the border, whose voice is alternately weary and full of excitement at his part in securing her freedom. E.N. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940192122198
Publisher:	Penguin Random House
Publication date:	12/03/2024
Edition description:	Unabridged
Age Range:	8 - 11 Years