Overview
Sis Goose is a beloved member of Luli's family, despite the fact that she was born a slave. But the family is harboring a terrible secret. And when Union soldiers arrive on their Texas plantation to announce that slaves have been declared free for nearly two years, Sis Goose is horrified to learn that the people she called family have lied to her for so long. She runs away—but her newly found freedom has tragic consequences. Includes an author's note.
Editorials
Children's Literature -
The end of the Civil War is quickly approaching, but in 1865, many Texas slaves still remain unaware of Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation of 1863. The Texan plantation-owning Holcomb family has kept the emancipation a secret out of fear of a slave uprising. Luli even keeps the secret from her ?adopted sister,' Sis Goose, who has been raised as a member of the family. When the secret finally comes to light, the once—tight-knit family is torn apart by lies, secrets, and tragedy, and Luli must grow up and fight to keep her family together. In this story of family, trust, betrayal, and heartache, the Civil War enters the homes of the Confederate state of Texas, and life is about to change drastically for both the plantation families and their slaves. This family that once proudly embraced their Southern honor must accept the fall of the South and adapt to a reunited America. Rinaldi has once again captured the historical voice of a Southern family impacted by war as they try to rebuild their lives during Reconstruction. Reviewer: Colleen HealyVOYA -
During the Civil War when the slaves are set free, the Holcomb family must make a tough decision. Do they tell the slaves, including Sis Goose, their "adopted daughter," that they are free, or should they continue to maintain their standard of living like the other Texan slave owners? Rinaldi, award-winning author of historical fiction, uses the family's youngest child, Luli, to tell the family's story. Raised primarily by her two older brothers, Luli is a likeable first-person narrator who has spent much of her fourteen years in a war-torn country. After Union soldiers occupy her family's land, they can no longer ignore President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation or the fact that Sis Goose feels that the Holcombs have betrayed her. This book has it all-love, war, romance, and murder. Some middle school readers will find Luli's courageousness appealing, whereas others might wonder why Sis Goose is nearly voiceless, especially because she is a pivotal character in the story. Readers also might grow suspicious of the author's meticulous effort to portray the Holcombs as forced to deny the slaves their right to freedom for fear of an uprising rather than because they wanted to take full advantage of free labor for as long as they could. This book could be the springboard for interesting conversations about Texan slave owners' motives and the response of freedmen. An author's note sharing her impetus for writing the novel followed by a bibliography concludes the book.KLIATT -
A historical novel, by definition, means that much of the action is imagined. Yet Rinaldi often leaves readers pondering The Great Debate about how accurate a fiction writer must be about historical events. She has a habit of changing characterizations of historical characters to suit herself. This book is a prime example. Apparently, slaves in Texas were not notified of their liberty (it's unclear whether Rinaldi is referring to the Emancipation Proclamation, which was largely toothless since it applied only to states in rebellion during the war, or 1867, two years after the end of the Civil War). The plot, written with a white, mildly defensive tone of apologetics for slavery, is implausible. How likely is it that a white plantation owner would take an almost-white slave under his wing and treat her exactly like his daughter, even though everyone knows she is a slave, owned by the plantation owner's sister who threatens periodically to sell her off? And how likely is it that the son of the plantation owner would fall in love with this girl, impregnate her, and go off to fight Indians on the Texas border, while everyone approves of their upcoming nuptials? No, the big problem of the novel is that the people in Texas somehow kept the fact of the slaves' freedom from them for an additional two years in order to get the crops in and do all the other things slaves did. The theme is the evil of keeping secrets from beloved others. It all ends in tragedy, meaning Rinaldi does not have to deal with the consequences of miscegenation/marriage/childbirth during Reconstruction. Individual readers can decide how valuable such a historical novel is.School Library Journal
Gr 5-7 - The author's talent for bringing history to life is vividly showcased in this novel. When Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, Texas slave owners, fearing an uprising, kept the fact a secret. They were finally forced to reveal the truth two and a half years later, on June 19, 1865, which came to be known as Juneteenth and is celebrated to this day. In this story, 14-year-old Luli has grown up with Sis Goose, a young mulatto girl, technically a slave but raised as part of the family. Luli's father is an invalid and her mother is busy running the plantation, so her older brother, Gabriel, has assumed responsibility for her, teaching her to ride and shoot like a boy, and instilling in her a fierce independence. Although Sis Goose is like a sister to Luli, and Gabriel is in love with her, the family does not tell Sis Goose of her freedom, which results in a devastating tragedy. Luli's authentic voice demonstrates Rinaldi's ability to evoke the human side of history, and the novel's evenhanded approach portrays the moral ambiguities of the time fairly and honestly. Believable characters with human strengths and weaknesses, lively writing, and plenty of action and suspense make this book a real page-turner for lovers of historical fiction.-Quinby Frank, Green Acres School, Rockville, MD
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