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nawhiskly's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
katykelly's review
5.0
Upsetting but doesn't pull its punches for a YA audience.
A Carnegie shortlister, I try to read them all every year. What a subject. Brutal, but necessarily so. Fast-moving from the initial decision of the slaves to revolt, to the action the reader experiences with the men and boys.
Based on a real-life plantation uprising, the 14-year-old protagonist shows its YA audience what really would have happened, injuries, deaths and all. An education in a hundred or so pages, the truth of what slaves endured and fought against couldn't be clearer.
The decision to kill their 'masters', the overseers is the one Mao struggles with, but once decisions are made and the first actions are taken, we are pushed into the path of the unstoppable train that we can see is going to be a bloody one.
Not making this a full-length novel works well, it keeps the flow and story tight, we know enough of Moa and his brethren to maintain tension and sympathy.
It's a good introduction to the topic, will leave readers with questions. For use only with secondary school students though.
A Carnegie shortlister, I try to read them all every year. What a subject. Brutal, but necessarily so. Fast-moving from the initial decision of the slaves to revolt, to the action the reader experiences with the men and boys.
Based on a real-life plantation uprising, the 14-year-old protagonist shows its YA audience what really would have happened, injuries, deaths and all. An education in a hundred or so pages, the truth of what slaves endured and fought against couldn't be clearer.
The decision to kill their 'masters', the overseers is the one Mao struggles with, but once decisions are made and the first actions are taken, we are pushed into the path of the unstoppable train that we can see is going to be a bloody one.
Not making this a full-length novel works well, it keeps the flow and story tight, we know enough of Moa and his brethren to maintain tension and sympathy.
It's a good introduction to the topic, will leave readers with questions. For use only with secondary school students though.
vivicody's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
3.0
ghorust_x's review
adventurous
challenging
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
ilhan's review
adventurous
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
holt_mh's review against another edition
challenging
informative
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
curlypip's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this one! It was well paced and gripping throughout, and well written with well developed characters.
sheena_sherburn's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
alongreader's review
4.0
I'll be honest: I didn't know the British had kept slaves in the Caribbean. I should have guessed, as they kept them everywhere else, but I'd never heard of it before. That's why this book is so important, of course; just as British schoolchildren don't learn about the Irish Famine, they undoubtedly don't learn about this either, and they should.
Be warned that the speech is rendered almost phonetically, and if, like me, you have trouble with dialect, it might be tough for you. If the whole book had been written that way, I might have had to give up, but as it's only speech and the occasional thought, I pushed through.
The treatment Moa and his fellow slaves receive is abominable, and the notes at the end make things even worse. I won't spoil it for you. I'd love to see this as a school novel; I think it could really do with being taught and studied. (It won't be, of course, because of the violence, but I would love it.)
This is a read that, while I can't say I enjoyed it, I'm very glad I read.
Be warned that the speech is rendered almost phonetically, and if, like me, you have trouble with dialect, it might be tough for you. If the whole book had been written that way, I might have had to give up, but as it's only speech and the occasional thought, I pushed through.
The treatment Moa and his fellow slaves receive is abominable, and the notes at the end make things even worse. I won't spoil it for you. I'd love to see this as a school novel; I think it could really do with being taught and studied. (It won't be, of course, because of the violence, but I would love it.)
This is a read that, while I can't say I enjoyed it, I'm very glad I read.