Allen Jay and the Underground Railroad

by Marlene Targ Brill

Book Overview

Eleven-year-old Allen Jay knows that his parents hide dark-skinnned people who appear and disappear mysteriously, but not until his father asks him to help with a runaway does he begin to understand... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0876146051
• ISBN13: 9780876146057
• Release Date: August 1993
• Publisher: First Avenue Editions (Tm)
• Length: 48 Pages
• Weight: 0.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.1" x 4.2" x 8.5"
• Age Range: 7 to 10 years
• Grade Range: Grades 2 to 5

Customer Reviews

GOOD FOR SCHOOL USE

The concept of the Underground Railroad is difficult for most children to grasp, and they first think it is similar to the subway. I used this book with elementary students in a small rural school in North Carolina where there are very few minority students; they loved it. For the first time they were able to understand the horrors of slavery and what the slaves and "conductors" alike risked for freedom in the North. The author does an excellent job of making this dark and complex chapter in our history understandable the students. The wanted to read it again and again.

Allen Jay, an introduction to the underground railroad

Allen Jay and the Underground Railroad is the retelling of a man's recollections of his first experience helping an escaped slave. The book brings the underground railroad down to the level primary students can comprehend. This book makes for wonderful discussions regarding overcoming one's fears, going against the norm and doing what you believe to be morally correct. The story is very idealistic. The dark side of the time period is not dealt with in any depth. This makes the book excellent for young readers who are just getting their feet wet on the issue of slavery.