Chains
As the Revolutionary War begins, thirteen-year-old Isabel wages her own fight... for freedom. Promised freedom upon the death of their owner, she and her sister, Ruth, in a cruel twist of fate become the property of a malicious New York City couple, the Locktons, who have no sympathy for the American Revolution and even less for Ruth and Isabel.
When Isabel meets Curzon, a slave with ties to the Patriots, he encourages her to spy on her owners, who know details of British plans for invasion. She is reluctant at first, but when the unthinkable happens to Ruth, Isabel realises her loyalty is available to the bidder who can provide her with freedom.
National Book Award Finalist for Young People's Literature (2008);Scott O'Dell Award (2009); An ALA Notable Children's Book for Older Readers (2009); Rebecca Caudill Young Reader's Book Award Nominee (2011); South Carolina Book Award Nominee for Junior Book Award (2011); Cybil Award for Middle Grade Fiction (2009); Carnegie Medal Nominee (2010)
About the Seeds of America Series
Reading age: 11+ years
This series should be read in order.
Set in 1776, against the backdrop of the American struggle for independence, this powerful series is also an incredible adventure about one girl’s struggle for freedom in a society in which she is considered someone else's property.
Isabel and her sister, Ruth, are slaves. Sold from one owner to the next, they arrive in New York as the Americans are fighting for their independence, and the English are struggling to maintain control. Soon Isabel is struggling too. Struggling to keep herself and her sister safe in a world in which they have no control.