Hattie's Story (American Quilts, Book 2) - Softcover

Gr 3-6-It is 1856, and Hattie's parents are abolitionists helping on the Illinois Underground Railroad. Her best friend's father is a pro-slavery constable. Hattie finds out about her parents' activities as neighborly anxiety mounts and slave hunters begin to show up more frequently. The situation comes to a head when a slave hunt goes terribly wrong and a neighbor's child is killed. Hattie has plenty to ponder as she tries to remain friends with Dora June, understand why her family is helping slaves, and console her mother who has lost several babies. Suspense builds as Hattie's family helps an escaped slave who is trying to get her 13 children to Canada, a few at a time. This suspense carries much of the plot, as the writing is uninspired. The main characters are satisfactory, but Lizzy never comes alive, her character little more than a plot device. The story line can be confusing, and occasionally readers need to refer to the family tree in the front to know where the characters fit in. Readers of light historical fiction may pick this up for book reports; the series could find its way into school libraries merely for the helpful activities included at the end.-Angela J. Reynolds, Washington County Cooperative Library Services, Aloha, OR

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