Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad by Ann Petry
Published by Amistad on January 2nd 2018
ISBN: 0062691309
Pages: 272
Goodreads

Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad was originally written by African American author Ann Petry. The 2018 edition features a forward by the renowned author, Jason Reynolds, and cover art by acclaimed illustrator, Kadir Nelson. This biography is written in a smooth, narrative style that makes it an easy read. The book chronologically recounts the story of Harriet Tubman’s life. The end of each chapter features one or two paragraphs of contextual information that helps the reader understand historical events beyond the narrative of Tubman’s life. The table of contents and index helps the reader navigate the text, and extension activities at the end will guide teachers and librarians as they continue to incorporate this text in their classes. However, this book would benefit from a list of sources–it is unclear how the author gained knowledge of Tubman’s heroic efforts to lead enslaved people to freedom and her thoughts and feelings during those years she served as a “conductor.” For this reason, I might be hesitant to share it with students as an exemplar of nonfiction writing. Recommended grades 5 and up

 

Reviewed by Amy Roberson, Yarmouth High School, Yarmouth