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Freewater

Newbery & Coretta Scott King Award Winner

Amina Luqman-Dawson

$24.99

Hardback

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English
Little Brown
28 June 2022
Under the cover of night, twelve-year-old Homer flees Southerland Plantation with his little sister Ada, unwillingly leaving their beloved mother behind. Much as he adores her and fears for her life, Homer knows there's no turning back, not with the overseer on their trail. Through tangled vines, secret doorways, and over a sky bridge, the two find a secret community called Freewater, deep in the swamp.

In this society created by formerly enslaved people and some freeborn children, Homer finds new friends, almost forgetting where he came from. But when he learns of a threat that could destroy Freewater, he crafts a plan to find his mother and help his new home.

Deeply inspiring and loosely based on the history of maroon communities in the South, this is a striking tale of survival, adventure, friendship, and courage.

By:  
Imprint:   Little Brown
Country of Publication:   United States
Dimensions:   Height: 198mm,  Width: 144mm,  Spine: 36mm
Weight:   460g
ISBN:   9780316056618
ISBN 10:   0316056618
Pages:   416
Publication Date:  
Recommended Age:   From 8 to 12 years
Audience:   Children/juvenile ,  English as a second language
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active

Amina Luqman Dawson is the author of the pictorial history book Images of America: African Americans of Petersburg (Arcadia Publishing). Her op-eds on race and popular culture have appeared in The Washington Post, The San Francisco Chronicle, and more. She's a proud mother of a 12-year-old son. Amina, her husband, and her son reside in Arlington, VA.

Reviews for Freewater (Newbery & Coretta Scott King Award Winner)

With both stirring emotion and apparently effortless skill, Dawson braids the many compelling strands of this story into a stunning conclusion. A remarkable accomplishment--a sheer triumph of a book. --Linda Sue Park, Newbery Medal winner and New York Times bestselling author A compelling, gripping story told in an imaginative and lyrical way, Freewater is a moving, powerful homage to the men, women, and children who rejected slavery and dared invent a free life in the American wilderness. --Dr. Sylviane A. Diouf, author of Slavery's Exiles: The Story of the American Maroons In Freewater, Amina Luqman Dawson shines a bright light on a little-known piece of history. Set against a forbidding landscape, the bright promise of freedom is illuminated in all its myriad shapes and forms. And it couldn't be more timely. Solidly researched and beautifully written, this is storytelling at its finest. Dawson's voice and the voices of her cast will linger long after the last page is closed. --Kathi Appelt, National Book Award Finalist and Newbery Honor Winner What a gorgeously told, thrilling, and deeply empowering story. Amina brings to life so vividly this important but overlooked chapter in history, in a way that all readers can relate to -- and through the eyes of young characters so compelling you'll miss them when you put the book down. Not that you'll want to put it down, even for a second. --Meena Harris, #1 New York Times bestselling author


  • Winner of Coretta Scott King Award (Author) 2023
  • Winner of Newbery Medal (Children's) 2023

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