LIBERTY STREET

Kezia is a slave in the small household of Missus Grace. She and her mother and Old Zeus work “from candlelight to candlelight, day in and day out.” But each Sunday they have an afternoon off and they walk to town on a dirt path they have named Liberty Street. Her father has been sold and her mother is trying to save enough money to buy her freedom. In a secret school, she learns to read and to hope. With the help of a secret network that includes her mother and teacher, she begins the long, frightening journey to Canada. Told by Kezia in the present tense, the story is intense and powerful. Velasquez’s illustrations are sweeping and detailed and perfectly match the text. An author’s note further explains some of the realities of slavery and methods of escape. Strong and compelling. (Picture book. 8-11)