Unbound A Novel in Verse, Ann E. Burg
Unbound A Novel in Verse, Ann E. Burg
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Unbound: A Novel in Verse

Author: Ann E. Burg

Narrator: Bahni Turpin

Unabridged: 3 hr 32 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 09/27/2016

Synopsis

From the award-winning author of All the Broken Pieces and Serafina's Promise comes a breathtaking new novel that is her most transcendent and widely accessible work to date.The day Grace is called from the slave cabins to work in the Big House, Mama makes her promise to keep her eyes down. Uncle Jim warns her to keep her thoughts tucked private in her mind or they could bring a whole lot of trouble and pain. But the more Grace sees of the heartless Master and hateful Missus, the more a rightiness voice clamors in her head-asking how come white folks can own other people, sell them on the auction block, and separate families forever. When that voice escapes without warning, it sets off a terrible chain of events that prove Uncle Jim's words true. Suddenly, Grace and her family must flee deep into the woods, where they brave deadly animals, slave patrollers, and the uncertainty of ever finding freedom. With candor and compassion, Ann E. Burg sheds light on a startling chapter of American history--the remarkable story of runaways who sought sanctuary in the Great Dismal Swamp--and creates a powerful testament to the right of every human to be free.

About Ann E. Burg

Ann E. Burg's debut novel, All the Broken Pieces, was named an ALA Best Book for Young Adults, a Jefferson Cup Award winner, and an IRA Notable Book for a Global Society. Her follow-up, Serafina's Promise, was an ALA Notable Book, a Parents' Choice Gold Award winner, and an NAACP Image Award finalist. Her latest novel, Unbound, was the winner of the New-York Historical Society Children's History Book Prize and the Christopher Award, among other distinctions. Burg worked as an English teacher for ten years before becoming a full-time writer. She lives in Rhinebeck, New York, with her family.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Starjustin on August 16, 2017

Unbound: A Novel in Verse depicts the life of a 9 year old girl, born into slavery. In this fictional novel, the reader follows Grace and her family through trials and tribulations they must endure on the road to freedom. A quick read book that I would recommend to anyone. A very captivating story f......more

Goodreads review by Claude's on December 03, 2021

CW: Depicts life as slaves 3,5 Stars Well this middle-school verse novel was a wonderful testament to the the strength of people escaping the injustices and horrors of slavery. Nine year old Grace is a beautifully drawn character and was the perfect narrator for this story. This could be used in classe......more

Goodreads review by ✦BookishlyRichie✦ on December 28, 2020

5 STARS!!! This was such a beautiful and heartbreaking read. Grace is such a strong and heroic character and I loved reading from her POV in verse. I'm not sure what year this takes place in but know it's about slavery and in some parts of the country it's been abolished but in Virginia, where this s......more

Goodreads review by Sam on November 11, 2016

I read Unbound in one night. It's an easy read, thanks to the verse and colloquial writing style that feels natural to southerners. But just because it's simply written, doesn't mean it doesn't have punching power. Unbound is a beautiful, spiritual story of young, light-skinned Grace (a house slave)......more

Goodreads review by Krista on March 23, 2019

I highly recommend (and prefer) the audiobook of this middle grade novel written in verse.......more

Quotes

Awards and Praise for All the Broken Pieces:



Jefferson Cup award winner

Booklist Editors' Choice

ALA Best Books for Young Adults

IRA Notable Book for a Global Society

ALA Popular Paperback for Young Adults



*"[A] stirring debut novel . . . will make readers want to rush to the end and then return to the beginning again to make connections between past, present, friends and enemies."--Booklist, starred review



*"The verse form carries highly charged emotions and heavy content with elegiac simplicity." --Kirkus Reviews, starred review



*"Using spare free verse, first-time novelist Burg beautifully evokes the emotions of a Vietnamese adoptee as he struggles to come to terms with his past." --Publishers Weekly, starred review



"...the story is a lovely, moving one." --School Library Journal



Awards and Praise for Serafina's Promise:

Starred review from Kirkus Reviews and School Library Journal

Kirkus Best Book of the Year

Parents' Choice Gold Award winner

School Library Journal Best Books of the Year

New York Public Library 100 Books for Giving and Sharing

The Herald-Sun Wilde Award for Longer books, Middle grade novel

Cybils Awards Finalists, Middle Grade Fiction

NAACP Image Awards Outstanding Literary Work-Youth/Teens nominee

ALA Notable Book

ALA Notable Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies

Michigan Great Lakes Great Books Award nominee

Bank Street College Children's Book Committee - Best Children's Books of the Year

Américas Award, Commended Title

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