True north

About the Book

True North tells the story of two 19th Century adolescent girls; Afrika, a run-away slave from a Virginia plantation and Lucy, a restless socialite from Boston convinced there is more to life than parties and marrying a wealthy man. While Afrika travels the underground Railroad, dodging slave catchers and hounds, Lucy dodges her older sister Iris's wedding preparations and begins to unravel the truth about her headstrong grandfather after his death.

When Lucy finds Afrika hiding in her grandfathers house, the two embark on a dangerous journey to the Canadian Border. The two must use their wits to outsmart the detectives hot on their trail.

It is a story that highlights the brutality of slavery, the support of slave labor in the north, the restrictions placed on 19th century women and the philosophies of revolutionaries like Robert Gould Shaw, Abigail Adams and Ralph Waldo Emerson (each of whom play a part in this book).

While this is a childrens novel, it is a great introduction to the Underground Railroad and a thrilling drama suitable for Middle School and High School students.

About the Edition

Because of the strong influence which her grandfather, an abolitionist, has in her life, fourteen-year-old Lucy assists a fugitive slave girl in her escape.