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Trouble Don't Last Shelley Pearsall Hardcover | Knopf Books for Young Readers | January 2002 | $14.95 | 0-375-81490-6 | Ages 8-12 Hardcover Library Binding | Knopf Books for Young Readers | January 2002 | $16.99 | 0-375-91490-0 | Ages 8-12 Paperback | Yearling | December 2003 | $5.50 | 0-440-41811-9 | Ages 8-12

Because of his clumsiness and young age, 11-year-old Samuel is considered “trouble” by the other slaves. When he accidentally does something wrong, like break a plate, or scream out in his dreams, all of the slaves are punished—sometimes with whippings, sometimes by giving up their own few possessions. One night, an old slave, Harrison, wakes Samuel up and the two begin a treacherous journey to Canada , where freedom awaits, and possibly Samuel's mother. The road isn't easy, however, as the two slaves move through the Underground Railroad, hiding from their former master and those men who hunt down runaway slaves for a living. If they are caught, they will certainly be killed. Can they make it to Canada safely, or will trouble continue to follow Samuel?

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Prepared by Brenda Day, Library Media Specialist, Crowley Middle School, Crowley, TX

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