The Secret to Freedom

By Marcia K. Vaughan

Book Overview

In the days before the Civil War, a young enslaved girl and her older brother help slaves escape to freedom using the Underground Railroad quilt code.

Lucy is just a young girl when her parents are sold off the plantation where her family lives. Oh, how she wishes things could be different. One day Lucy's older brother, Albert, comes home with something that can make a difference - a sack of quilts. The quilts are part of a secret code, and each different pattern gives important information to slaves planning to escape on the Underground Railroad. When Albert is caught one night helping the runaways, he too must flee, leaving Lucy behind. As he disappears into the darkness, Lucy fears she will never see her brother again.

Set during the years before the Civil War, The Secret to Freedom is a testament to the enduring bond of family and a celebration of the human spirit. It is a story of triumph over adversity during a difficult chapter in our country's past. An Author's Note further explains the Underground Railroad quilt code.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1584302518
• ISBN13: 9781584302513
• Release Date: May 2002
• Publisher: Lee & Low Books
• Length: 32 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.1" x 8.4" x 10.5"
• Age Range: 6 to 10 years
• Grade Range: Grades 1 to 5

Customer Reviews

It's up to the siblings to help slaves escape to freedom

Set in the years before the Civil War is this story of Lucy and her brother, whose parents have been sold as slaves. It's up to the siblings to help slaves escape to freedom using a 'quilt code' by the Underground Railroad: when he brother escapes as well, Lucy wonders if their family will ever unite. Good reading skills will lend to an appreciation of this pre-war saga.