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Description
This book is a biography of the African American woman who spent her childhood in slavery and later worked to help other slaves escape north to freedom through the Underground Railroad.
Quick Summary
If you've got a kid who thinks history is boring, this biography of Harriet Tubman might change their mind. Lantier tells the story of a woman who escaped slavery and then risked her life over and over again to go back and lead others to freedom and she does it in a way that feels immediate and real, not like a textbook. The book doesn't sugarcoat the harsh realities of slavery, so parents of sensitive younger readers might want to preview it first, but it's written with middle graders firmly in mind and never gets graphic or overwhelming. At around 13,000 words, it's a quick read that won't intimidate reluctant readers, but it still packs in enough detail to give kids a real sense of who Harriet was and why her work on the Underground Railroad mattered. It's a great choice for book reports, civil rights studies, or anyone who loves stories about brave people standing up against injustice. Fans of other condensed biographies like those in the Who Was? series will probably enjoy this one too.