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Sid Johnson and the Phantom Slave Stealer
by Frances Schoonmaker
GENRE: Young Adult historical mystery
PUBLICATION DATE: 09/14/2022
DESCRIPTION:
Sid Johnson’s parents claim that they don’t know anything about a slave-stealer who uses the code name Belteshazzar. He is so effective in helping freedom seekers that slaveholders call him a phantom. But once Sid discovers that their farm is a stop on the Underground Railroad, he isn’t so sure Ma and Pa are telling him the truth. They’re breaking the law, too. What will happen if they’re caught? When he overhears bounty hunters threaten Pa, Sid decides to take action to protect the family. Before his plans are in place, bounty hunters burn the barn. With a Civil War brewing and the farm compromised as a stop on the Underground Railroad, Ma and Pa decide to go west. Sid is ambivalent about leaving home. Disappointed that the mystery of the slave stealer is unsolved, he’s relieved to leave the slave question behind. But Sid soon discovers the ugly shadow of slavery reaches to their wagon train and the Santa Fe Trail.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Frances Schoonmaker is the award-winning author of The Last Crystal Trilogy, historical fantasy for the upper middle grade-young adult reader. Sid Johnson and the Phantom Slave Stealer is the first book in a new historical mystery series that is set in the late 1850s and follows a boy and his family as they face the clash of cultures met by immigrants going west during the Great Westward Migration. Native of Oklahoma, Schoonmaker is Professor Emerita of Teachers College, Columbia University in New York, where she co-directed the graduate-level teacher preparation program in elementary and middle school education. The program had a strong emphasis on literature and storytelling. Schoonmaker has taught, lectured, and consulted nationally and internationally. She sees writing for children and young people as the natural extension of a career that has been devoted to them as a teacher and as a teacher educator.
REVIEWS:
"Historical storytelling at its finest, bringing to life a fascinating time in American history with a tale of adventure, mystery and suspense," K.Hall, BookTrib; "A worthy, engaging story of an abolitionist family," Kirkus Reviews; "Exhilarating and enjoyable...deserving of a place on the shelf of a children's section in every library," M.Gordoni, Pacific Book Review; "An engrossing story that deserves not just acquisition, but assignment for discussion groups tackling the history and issues of slavery and those involved with it on all sides," D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review; "We need more books like this for the age group...reads well and tells a good story," L.Oliva, Santa Fe Trail Historian; "a dazzling adventure story that never shies away from the dark truths about U.S. history," R. Narvaez, award-winning author, Holly Hernandez and the Death of Disco; "Brings to life a dramatic and troubling part of our history," L.Slaughter, award-winning author, Leisha's Song.
COMPARATIVE FILM/BOOK:
On the shelf between Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn and Linda Sue Parks' Prairie Lotus
CASTING:
Sid Johnson=Tom Holland, Sadie Johnson (Ma)=Carey Mulligen, Daniel Harold= Kuluuya
PRIMARY VENUES/LOCATIONS WITHIN THE BOOK:
1855/56: farm in Southern Illinois; steamer on the Missouri River; Kansas City/Westport; Santa Fe Trail; Council Grove, Kansas
BOOK EXCERPT:
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