Runaway Slave

McGovern, A. (1965). Runaway slave. New York: Scholastic.

I plan to use this book to introduce my students next year to a real life super hero. This book tells the true-life story of Harriet Tubman. She was a conductor on the Underground Railroad. She was so successful at helping people escape slavery that she had a price on her head. Harriet was also a Civil War spy. This was an extremely dangerous undertaking when you consider that captured spies were executed. Harriet Tubman instantly became my hero after I read this book. The book is instructive without being preachy, and gave me a sense of Harriet Tubman's incredible strength of character, determination, and courage. In the pages of this book, I found a Great American. You should consider giving this book as a gift to a child you love. The writing is easy to read, the illustrations are gripping, and the main character is a real life, honest-to-goodness hero.

This book is a biography about Harriet Tubman’s life from birth until her death. It is classified into the informational book genre. The information in this book is written in a sequence structure as the events of Harriet’s life are told in chronological order. The theme of the book is how Harriet Tubman rose above many challenges to make a better life for herself. The book also reveals how she helped many other people have a better life. The book is written in a conversational style told in third person narrative. The events in Harriet’s life are retold with vivid details that transform the reader back in time to learn about a true American hero.

Big Questions:

Would you ever risk your life to save someone else?

Have you ever made a sacrifice to help another person?

What does the word hero mean to you?