Product Description

"(Told) with sensitivity and flair" ("Publisher Weekly", starred review), this is Lasky's stimulating, acclaimed historical novel set in pre-Civil War America. Two girls risk their lives on the Underground Railroad and must keep on the right course--true north.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1079533 in Books
• Published on: 1998-06-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 288 pages

From Publishers Weekly
In the years before the Civil War, the paths of two adolescent girls?one a Boston socialite, the other a runaway slave from Virginia?converge, and together they embark on a treacherous journey to the Canadian border. "Lasky combines suspenseful fiction with history," said PW in a starred review. Ages 10-14.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Grade 6-9-An excellent work of historical fiction, carefully researched and poignantly told. In Virginia's Great Dismal Swamp in 1858, 14-year-old Afrika defies Harriet Tubman and chooses to stay with her dying newborn baby while the others continue to travel north. Afterwards, she resumes her flight from slavery to freedom alone. Meanwhile, Lucy Bradford of Boston finds the hoopla surrounding her older sister's wedding a total bore. She looks for some excitement and finds more than she bargained for when she discovers the young slave hiding in her grandfather's house. Suddenly, Lucy's predictable life is turned upside down as she helps the girl continue north. After Afrika reaches the safety of Canada and Lucy returns home, the two write to one another regularly. Finally, five decades later, Lucy welcomes Afrika to her Boston home. The two main characters are resilient, appealing, and complex. As the story switches back and forth from one to the other, the inevitability of their encounter and readers' curiosity about the circumstances under which this meeting will occur create a page-turning scenario. The grim realities of slavery are unforgettably revealed through Afrika, and the contrast between her life and Lucy's is starkly and effectively conveyed. The detailed settings add to the authenticity of the telling. Young people who have enjoyed Jennifer Armstrong's Steal Away (Orchard, 1992) will find Lasky's novel another thought-provoking look at this tumultuous period in U.S. history.
Carol Schene, Taunton Public Schools, MA
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Gr. 6^-8. Fourteen-year-old Lucy is the youngest daughter of a proper, upper-middle-class family living in Boston in 1858. Afrika, a young slave, doesn't know how old she is, but she knows it's time to make a run for freedom via the Underground Railroad. The girls' lives collide when Lucy discovers Afrika hiding in her grandfather's house, which is a safe place along the way to Canada. Lucy's abolitionist grandfather shares some of his secrets before his death, and now Lucy and Afrika must figure out the codes, the signals, and the roads that will take them north. The journey is dangerous, and almost no one can be trusted, but after months of difficult travel, the courageous teens arrive in Canada. Rich imagery and detail add to the suspenseful plot, and the characters, revealed in alternating perspectives, are vivid and believable. Flashbacks to Afrika's life in slavery are especially moving. This is stimulating, soul-stirring historical fiction, further enhanced by an informative author's note and a list of additional readings. Karen Simonetti

Customer Reviews

True North, by Kathryn Lasky
A well-written story about the underground railroad,"True North" is about a young, witty fourteen-year old, Lucy, and her grandfather. The story takes place in 19th century America at the height of the aboloitionists and slave disputes. Lucy is a wealthy girl raised in Massachusetts. She is very much different than her four other sisters. Lucy is not at all interested in getting dressed up and going to parties, but would rather learn from her grandfather about the human body or birds. She does not know very much about slavery, only that her parents do not agree on whether it is right or wrong. Her mother was raised in the south, and her father in the north. Lucy is very close to her grandfather, who is a doctor. She feels that she knows him very well. However, as time passes, Lucy cracks his codes and finds out that he is a conductor and stationmaster in the underground railroad. He lets her go with him on one of his adventures, and Lucy is glad to be a part of it. After his passing, Lucy finds herself in a situation where she must help 14-year-old runaway slave, Afrika. A friendship develops throughout the story between the two girls and each learns an important lesson about human kindness. This story depicts this time in America very well. I would suggest this book to anyone who does not know about slavery in America during this time. It would be a great book to use as early as fifth grade. It shows the sad history of our country and slavery, and why there was so much hatred between the two races during this time. Kathryn Lasky does a great job of developing a fictional story with many interwoven facts throughout it. It is the perfect way to get the facts across while making the story interesting.

A good introduction to the underground railroad
I teach seventh and eighth grade English and searched far and wide for a good novel about cultures. This book has characters my students could relate to and enough action to keep them hooked. It contrasts the lives of two girls, one escaping slavery and the other escaping the "rules" of the upper-class. What was best, though, are the issues raised that sparked discussion, including ethics, civil disobedience, and taking risks.

very good
This book was exciting and kept my attention throughout the entire story. The comparison of life in the highest social class at that time and slavery was equally amazing and sad.