Harriet Tubman

School Library Journal

Gr 8-12-- A book that does a nice job of filling the gap between biographies of Tubman aimed at upper elementary or junior-high students and those of a more scholarly nature. Bentley portrays a very human Tubman, an abused child who grew up with an overwhelming vision to free her people from slavery. Her upbringing on southern plantations at the mercy of white owners is dealt with thoroughly yet concisely, with emphasis on the effect of that difficult childhood on her adult mission. Tubman's courage first in her own escape, and then in going back to the South time after time, bringing 300 others to freedom, is poignantly portrayed, with enough thrilling details of dangerous moments to make this interesting reading without lapsing into melodrama. Bentley footnotes extensively, and draws from many first-hand sources. She does not relate Tubman's story in a vacuum, but includes a good deal of information on the abolition movement and events of the Civil War. While some prior knowledge of troop movements and battles would help readers, these details enhance, rather then encumber, Tubman's story. Ann Petry's Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad (Crowell, 1955) has been a standard selection on Tubman, and Bentley updates it nicely for today's readers. Dorothy Sterling's Freedom Train: The Story of Harriet Tubman (Scholastic, 1987) is for a younger audience. --Joyce Adams Burner, formerly at Spring Hill Middle School, KS