Jump Ship to Freedom

by Christopher Collier and James Lincoln Collier

Book Overview

Young Daniel Arabus and his mother are slaves in the house of Captain Ivers of Stratford, Connecticut. By law they should be free, since Daniel's father fought in the Revolutionary army and earned enough in soldiers' notes to buy his family's freedom. But now Daniel's father is dead, and Mrs. Ivers has taken the notes from his mother. When Daniel bravely steals the notes back, a furious Captain Ivers forces him aboard a ship bound for the West Indies--and...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0440911583
• ISBN13: 9780440911586
• Release Date: May 1996
• Publisher: Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group
• Weight: 0.26 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Jump Ship to Freedom

Due to the use of the word "nigger," James and Christopher Collier's renowned book, Jump Ship To Freedom has been banned from both public and private school libraries with such regularity that the American Library Association recently included it in its current 100 Most Frequently Censored Books List. While it is fitting and altogether proper that schools have the ability to censor books that are not age appropriate or are downright unsuitable for its students, any institution that forbids young adults from getting their hands on this accurate account of a triumphant runaway slave are off the intellectual mark To all but the obtuse reader, this is a worldly story that puts a face on the horrid institution of slavery while, at the same time, familiarizes its readers with the derisive shadow it cast upon the founding of our nation. Based on historically accurate events and characters, this is the story of fourteen-year-old Daniel Arabus and his mother who are slaves owned by Captain Ivers of Staford, Connecticut in the mid 1780's. They had always dreamed of buying their freedom, and when Daniel finds out that his deceased fathers valuable Revolutionary War notes (Which he had earned while fighting for General George Washington) have been stolen by his master, he gets the idea to steal them back and to sell them at a later opportunity. In short order, Ivers discovers the theft, suspects Daniel, and fixes to sell him off while on the upcoming expedition to the to the dreadfully notorious West Indies sugar cane fields. As fate would have it, Daniel was ironically saved by a deathly storm that wrecked such damage to his captain's ship that it was forced to seek repair in New York City. Once in harbor, the spry Daniel cunningly set off a chain of events that made for his "jumping ship to freedom." Meeting a seemingly endless list of epic characters from the post Revolutionary era, Daniel ends up playing a central role in relaying an important deathbed message over issues surrounding the institution of slavery to the Founding Fathers who were writing the Constitution in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. For his feat, he perceivers and frees both himself and his mother from bondage. In one sense, Jump Ship To Freedom is valuable in that it compellingly portrays an accurate account of some of our nation's most noted Founding Fathers, the era's culture, and the issues that gave birth to what would become the United States of America. In a larger sense, it puts a face on the many thousands of slaves who toiled under the master's lash for some two hundred and forty six years. In an appropriate and altogether fitting sense, the Colliers carefully employ the word "nigger" to maintain the book's historical accuracy. It was a word used with regularity as the nineteenth century ran its course. In addition to its accuracy, the word's usage paints an ominous account of how Daniel came to reject self-doubts he subscribed to as a "lowly nigger" and the new self

Jump Ship to Freedom

"Help there is a fire!" Mrs. Ivers said. Daniel Arabus sneeks into Mrs. Ivers room and steels his fathers soldiers notes. Daniel Arabus is a black slave boy who wants to buy his mom and his freedom. When Mr. Ivers takes Daniel on the Junius Brutus(Captian Ivers' boat)he has to get to New York to give his fathers soldiers notes to Mr. Johnson so he can but his family free. The problem is he is a fugitive slave and doesn't know if the notes are worth anything. This book is probably the best book I have ever read. It is a good book because Daniel is clever enough to even get the notes. The book just wows me so much I can't explain it! I hope that James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier keep writing amazing books like Jump Ship to Freedom.

Jump Ship to Freedom

"Help there is a fire!" Mrs. Ivers said. Daniel Arabus sneeks into Mrs. Ivers room and steels his fathers soldiers notes. This book is the best book I have ever read. Daniel Arabus is a black slave boy who wants to buy his mom and his freedom. When Mr. Ivers takes Daniel on the Junius Brutus(Captian Ivers' boat)he has to get to New York to give his fathers soldiers notes to Mr. Johnson so he can but his family free. The problem is he is a fugitive slave and doesn't know if the notes are worth anything. This book is probably the best book I have ever read. It is a good book because Daniel is clever enough to even get the notes. The book just wows me so much I can't explain it! I hope that James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier keep writing amazing books like Jump Ship to Freedom.

Great

In the begining I had to read it for class and thought it was going to be boring but once I read it I was tied in the book and wanted to keep reading. It is very interesting and you can learn alot from it.

Good to the last minute.

I didn't really want to read this book, but when I did, I enjoyed the fast paced action and the historical setting. I also liked that it was written in the first person. I am a teacher and I plan to read the book with my students.