Passenger on the Pearl: The True Story of Emily Edmonson's Flight from Slavery
Jan 2015 · Sold by Algonquin Books
4.9star
8 reviews
Ebook
176
Pages
family_home
Eligible
info
About this ebook
NOW IN PAPERBACK!
The page-turning, heart-wrenching true story of one young woman willing to risk her safety and even her life for a chance at freedom in the largest slave escape attempt in American history.
In 1848, thirteen-year-old Emily Edmonson, five of her siblings, and seventy other enslaved people boarded the Pearl under cover of night in Washington, D.C., hoping to sail north to freedom. Within a day, the schooner was captured, and the Edmonsons were sent to New Orleans to be sold into even crueler conditions. Through Emily Edmonson’s journey from enslaved person to teacher at a school for African American young women, Conkling illuminates the daily lives of enslaved people, the often changing laws affecting them, and the high cost of a failed escape.
“Clearly written, well-documented, and chock full of maps, sidebars, and reproductions of photographs and engravings, the fascinating volume covers a lot of history in a short space. Conkling uses the tools of a novelist to immerse readers in Emily’s experiences. A fine and harrowing true story.” —Kirkus Reviews
“[Passenger on the Pearl] covers information about slavery that is often not found in other volumes . . . Conkling’s work is intricate and detailed . . . A strong and well-sourced resource.” —School Library Journal
“Conkling is a fine narrator . . . Readers familiar with the trials of Solomon Northup will find this equally involving.” —The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
“Edmondson’s life story is compelling and inspiring. It provides the perfect hook for readers into the horrors of slavery.” —VOYA
A Junior Library Guild Selection
The page-turning, heart-wrenching true story of one young woman willing to risk her safety and even her life for a chance at freedom in the largest slave escape attempt in American history.
In 1848, thirteen-year-old Emily Edmonson, five of her siblings, and seventy other enslaved people boarded the Pearl under cover of night in Washington, D.C., hoping to sail north to freedom. Within a day, the schooner was captured, and the Edmonsons were sent to New Orleans to be sold into even crueler conditions. Through Emily Edmonson’s journey from enslaved person to teacher at a school for African American young women, Conkling illuminates the daily lives of enslaved people, the often changing laws affecting them, and the high cost of a failed escape.
“Clearly written, well-documented, and chock full of maps, sidebars, and reproductions of photographs and engravings, the fascinating volume covers a lot of history in a short space. Conkling uses the tools of a novelist to immerse readers in Emily’s experiences. A fine and harrowing true story.” —Kirkus Reviews
“[Passenger on the Pearl] covers information about slavery that is often not found in other volumes . . . Conkling’s work is intricate and detailed . . . A strong and well-sourced resource.” —School Library Journal
“Conkling is a fine narrator . . . Readers familiar with the trials of Solomon Northup will find this equally involving.” —The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
“Edmondson’s life story is compelling and inspiring. It provides the perfect hook for readers into the horrors of slavery.” —VOYA
A Junior Library Guild Selection
Ratings and reviews
4.9
8 reviews
Marilyn Panton
- Flag inappropriate
July 28, 2014
This wonderfully written book is both educational and heartbreaking. It shines a spotlight on a very disturbing and troublesome time in American history when slaves were kept and exploited by their slave owners. The story centres around the Edmonson family and their unrelenting struggle to have both parents and their fourteen children become free men and women. It takes place in 1848 and Emily, along with her five siblings and seventy other enslaved people get on board the Pearl in the Pontomac River in Washington D.C. hoping beyond hope to flee their dismal and futureless lives and reach liberty. Unfortunately, within a day the boat is tracked down and seized and those on board are taken as prisoners once again. The six family members are rounded up and whisked off to New Orleans to be sold. Helpless and feeling totally hopeless Emily and her sister Mary are trapped and unable to escape. They are saved from utter despair and domination by a break out of yellow fever forcing them to be returned to Virginia. Eventually they are ransomed by the unrelenting concern, determination and love of their parents and abolitionists, including Harriet Beecher Stowe, who later uses th
1 person found this review helpful
About the author
Winifred Conkling is an award-winning author of fiction and nonfiction for young readers, including Passenger on the Pearl, Radioactive!, Votes for Women!, and the middle-grade novel Sylvia & Aki. You can find her online at winifredconkling.com.
Rate this ebook
Tell us what you think.
Reading information
Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can listen to audiobooks purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
eReaders and other devices
To read on e-ink devices like Kobo eReaders, you'll need to download a file and transfer it to your device. Follow the detailed Help Center instructions to transfer the files to supported eReaders.
