Listen for the Whippoorwill

The Trailblazer Series is a favorite in our family among our 7 and 9 year olds (and Mom and Dad too). The books are educational and captivating! I want my children to be reading things that inspire them to step out and do great things and these books meet that goal.

Twelve-year-old Rosebud Jackson has lived her whole life as a slave on a Maryland plantation. But with her family beside her, it hasn't been so bad. That all changes in the spring of 1853. Her older brother, Isaac, tries to run away, but is caught and sold away to the deep south. Her mother gives birth to a stillborn baby and dies soon after. Then Rosebud's father decides to escape to freedom, but Rosebud must stay behind to give him more time to get away. He promises to return for her that fall, but instead, Harriet Tubman comes, saying she will lead Rosebud to freedom, where she can be reunited with her father. But the escape north is long and dangerous, and Rosebud begins to wonder if she will ever be free, and ever see what is left of her family again. This was a good historical novel for young readers that brought to life the terrible hardship of slavery and how it tore families apart. Rosebud is a very sympathetic character who at a young age goes through so much hardship and tragedy yet manages to hold on to her hope and faith. I recommend this book to readers who like to read historical novels about this era.