LoveReading4Kids Says
LoveReading4Kids Says
Interest Age 8+ Reading Age 8
Catherine Johnson tells the extraordinary story of Olaudah Equiano with typical power and economy in a book that will inform, inspire and fascinate young readers.
Taking his autobiography as the base, she concentrates on his early life, describing his terrifying capture as a young boy by slavers in Africa, his experiences as a slave working for different masters and how, through his resilience, determination and intelligence he was able to buy his freedom again. There are details that will intrigue young people, how he was terrified when he first saw porpoises, a thrilling near shipwreck, and we also meet other young people exploited and mistreated as Equiano was.
Told in first person, the narrative is direct and has a real warmth. Johnson avoids details of the cruelties endured by slaves but nonetheless, young people will fully comprehend the absolute evil and inhumanity of the slave trade as they read. A detailed afterword explaining more about Equiano is likely to inspire them to read more.
Andrea Reece
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About
Journey Back to Freedom Synopsis
From the horrors of the slave trade to a book that changed the world, Catherine Johnson celebrates the incredible life of Olaudah Equiano in this gripping true story.
Born in what is now Nigeria in 1745, Olaudah Equiano's peaceful childhood was brought to an abrupt end when he was captured and enslaved aged 11. He spent much of the next eight years of his life at sea, seeing action in the Seven Years' War. When he was finally able to buy his freedom, he went on to become a prominent member of the abolition movement and in 1789 published one of the first books by a Black African writer.
Journey Back to Freedom focuses on Equiano's early life, demonstrating the resilience of the human spirit and one man's determination to be free.
Particularly suitable for struggling, reluctant and dyslexic readers aged 7+
About This Edition
| ISBN: |
9781781129227 |
| Publication date: |
1st September 2022 |
| Author: |
Catherine Johnson |
| Illustrator: |
Katie Hickey |
| Publisher: |
Barrington Stoke Ltd |
| Format: |
Paperback |
| Pagination: |
112 pages |
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Press Reviews
Catherine Johnson Press Reviews
Praise for Race to the Frozen North;
“Catherine Johnson is the master of historical fiction for children; her prose is warm and wise and utterly gripping” Katherine Rundell
“If it doesn’t make you angry you haven’t read it properly” Fleur Hitchcock
“Wonderful” The Letterpress Project
Author
About Catherine Johnson
Catherine Johnson is a screen-writer and best-selling author of several books for children and young adults. Her acclaimed novel Sawbones won the Young Quills Award for Historical Fiction, and her most recent book The Curious Tale of the Lady Caraboo, was nominated for the CILIP Carnegie Medal and the YA Book Prize. Catherine has been a Writer in Residence at Holloway Prison, a Royal Literary Fund Writing Fellow at the London institute and has mentored writers in Africa for the British Council.
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Barrington Stoke is the foremost publisher of dyslexia friendly books and those for reluctant readers. Here on Lovereading4kids we are constantly selecting new titles and refreshing our special dyslexia friendly category.
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