"Race for Freedom"

I thought this time I'd choose a juvenile fiction to review so that my children could enjoy it too once I was done. "Race for Freedom" by Loise Walfrid Johnson is a story about a young girl who wants to help with the Underground Railroad, a young boy who does help with it, and a young black boy who is fleeing from his captor. The main character, the young girl, is the daughter of a steamboat captain which is why most of the story takes place on a steamboat.

"Race for Freedom" is book two in the series and, unfortunately, I didn't realize that when I ordered this book. While I managed to piece together what was going on in the storyline, it quickly became obvious that I wasn't part and partial to the entire plot. Therefore, if you're going to read this book, be sure to read number one in the "Freedom Series" first. It's titled "Escape into the Night". The other thing to keep in mind is that there are 6 books in the series. On the final page of "Race for Freedom", I actually felt like there was a mistake because it felt very unfinished. I found myself thinking, "What? That's it?" But I suppose that's to make you want to buy the next book.

But are you going to want to buy it? I enjoyed that virtues like honor and standing up for what's right no matter the cost where praised. This is sorely lacking in a lot of juvenile fiction. I also liked the side story about the immigrant family on board the boat. What I didn't care for were the descriptions of where on the steamboat the kids were. I couldn't picture it in my head.

One thing I didn't expect was that out of 249 pages, 40 are not part of the story at all. Instead they include a study guide, and chapter 1 of the next book. If you homeschool, this could definitely be easily used as part of your Language Arts curriculum - especially if you like to combine Lang. Arts with History.

I got a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. If you want to get a copy, you can go to http://mpnewsroom.com/books/race-freedom.