ABOUT THIS BOOK

Now in Laurel-Leaf, Virginia Hamilton's powerful true account of the sensational trial of a fugitive slave.

The year is 1854, and Anthony Burns, a 20-year-old Virginia slave, has escaped to Boston. But according to the Fugitive Slave Act, a runaway can be captured in any free state, and Anthony is soon imprisoned. The antislavery forces in Massachusetts are outraged, but the federal government backs the Fugitive Slave Act, sparking riots in Boston and fueling the Abolitionist movement.

Written with all the novelistic skill that has won her every major award in children's literature, Virginia Hamilton's important work of nonfiction puts young readers into the mind of Burns himself.


REVIEWS

"Moving and unforgettable." -- School Library Journal, Starred

"Beautifully written . . . a riveting reality tale whose legacy, even now, is not finished." -- The New York Times Book Review


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Virginia Hamilton's many awards include the Newbery Medal and National Book Award for M.C. Higgins the Great; the Coretta Scott King Medal for The People Could Fly; and the Hans Christian Andersen Award for the body of her work.


AWARDS

WINNER 1988 - School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
WINNER 1988 - Horn Book Fanfare
WINNER 1988 - ALA Best Books for Young Adults
WINNER 1988 - Boston Globe-Horn Book Award
WINNER 1988 - Virginia Library Association Jefferson Cup Book Award
WINNER 1988 - Coretta Scott King Author Honor
WINNER 1996 - Massachusetts Children's Book Master List
WINNER 1989 - Jane Addams Children's Book Award Honor Book