Inspired by a true story, the riveting novel of a young slave girl's harrowing escape to freedom on the Underground Railroad.
The moment Ann Maria Weems was born, her freedom was stolen from her. Like her family and the other slaves on the farm, Ann works from sunup to sundown and obeys the orders of her master. Then one day, Ann's family -- the only joy she knows -- is gone. Just 12 years old, Ann is overcome by grief, struggling to get through each day. And her only hope of stealing back her freedom and finding her family lies in a perilous journey: the Underground Railroad.
Ann Maria Weems was an actual slave who lived in the mid-1800s near the author's home in Maryland.
WINNER
| 2000 ALA Best Books for Young Adults
NOMINEE
| 2002 Arizona Young Readers Award
"A deftly crafted story with a strong, appealing heroine." -- School Library Journal, Starred
"Imaginatively and sensitively adapted from historical records, [Stealing Freedom] will evoke admiration for the courage of both those who resisted slavery and those who endured it." -- Publishers Weekly, Starred
"Riveting . . . a thrilling and hopeful novel." -- Columbus Dispatch
Elisa Carbone taught in the Speech Communications department at the University of Maryland, but now she enjoys being a full-time writer and part-time rock climber, windsurfer, and white-water kayaker. “The physical exertion of the sports balances out the mental exertion of writing,” she says. She loves doing the research required to write historical fiction and is fascinated by the small details of everyday life in the past. Ms. Carbone’s Sarah books, Starting School with an Enemy and Sarah and the Naked Truth, have been praised for their accessibility to reluctant readers.
View titles by Elisa Carbone
Inspired by a true story, the riveting novel of a young slave girl's harrowing escape to freedom on the Underground Railroad.
The moment Ann Maria Weems was born, her freedom was stolen from her. Like her family and the other slaves on the farm, Ann works from sunup to sundown and obeys the orders of her master. Then one day, Ann's family -- the only joy she knows -- is gone. Just 12 years old, Ann is overcome by grief, struggling to get through each day. And her only hope of stealing back her freedom and finding her family lies in a perilous journey: the Underground Railroad.
Ann Maria Weems was an actual slave who lived in the mid-1800s near the author's home in Maryland.
Awards
WINNER
| 2000 ALA Best Books for Young Adults
NOMINEE
| 2002 Arizona Young Readers Award
Praise
"A deftly crafted story with a strong, appealing heroine." -- School Library Journal, Starred
"Imaginatively and sensitively adapted from historical records, [Stealing Freedom] will evoke admiration for the courage of both those who resisted slavery and those who endured it." -- Publishers Weekly, Starred
"Riveting . . . a thrilling and hopeful novel." -- Columbus Dispatch
Elisa Carbone taught in the Speech Communications department at the University of Maryland, but now she enjoys being a full-time writer and part-time rock climber, windsurfer, and white-water kayaker. “The physical exertion of the sports balances out the mental exertion of writing,” she says. She loves doing the research required to write historical fiction and is fascinated by the small details of everyday life in the past. Ms. Carbone’s Sarah books, Starting School with an Enemy and Sarah and the Naked Truth, have been praised for their accessibility to reluctant readers.
View titles by Elisa Carbone
