Steal Away
by Jennifer Armstrong
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In 1855 two thirteen-year-old girls, one white and one black, run away from a southern farm and make the difficult journey north to freedom, living to recount their story forty-one years later to two similar young girls.Tags
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Susannah Emmons receives a letter from Bethlehem Reid and decides that she must go see her. Bethlehem is dying. While Susannah and Mary, her granddaughter, travel by train to Toronto, Susannah tells the story of her friendship with Bethlehem. When Susannah's parents drown, Susannah is sent south to live with her Uncle Reid. Bethlehem becomes Susannah's slave. Taught to abhor slavery, Susannah resists Bethlehem’s care. The girls quickly become fast friends. Eventually, Susannah’s homesickness forces her to “steal away” home. To avoid Byron Reid’s amorous attentions, Bethlehem decides to go with her. Hoping that their disappearance will be blamed on slave stealers, the girls leave early one morning dressed as boys. As they move show more north, they do odd jobs to earn their keep. In Maryland, they see a notice about their escape. Susannah wants Bethlehem to live with her in Vermont, but after seeing the notice, Bethlehem realizes that Canada is her only safe haven. A knife wound, a loving Quaker family, and the Underground Railroad all play a part in Bethlehem's freedom.
©2024 Kathy Maxwell at https://bookskidslike.com show less
©2024 Kathy Maxwell at https://bookskidslike.com show less
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44+ Works 5,134 Members
Jennifer Armstrong, a noted author of historical fiction, including "Black-Eyed Susan" & "The Dreams of Mairhe Mehan", lives in Saratoga Springs, New York. (Publisher Provided) Jennifer Armstrong was born in 1961 in Waltham, Massachusettes. When she was two, her family moved to New York State. They also lived in Switzerland for a year. Armstrong show more attended Smith College where she majored in English and American Literature. She graduated in 1983. After college, Armstrong worked for a publishing company in New York City. She quit to write full time. Armstrong has written over 50 books for kids and teens. She is the winner of the Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World. Many of her books have been designated as Notable Books by the American Library Association and the International Reading Association. Armstrong also won the Knickernocker Award from the school librarians of New York. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Awards and Honors
Awards
Distinctions
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Steal Away
- People/Characters
- Susannah McKnight Emmons; Bethlehem Reid; Mary Emmons; Free
- Important events
- American Civil War
- Dedication
- This book is dedicated, with love and thanks, to my parents.
- First words
- My dear Free, Will you receive this?
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Gran and I left Toronto that day, and I never saw Bethlehem or Free anymore.
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- Members
- 710
- Popularity
- 39,857
- Reviews
- 3
- Rating
- (3.18)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook
- ISBNs
- 12
- ASINs
- 2
