Steal Away

A powerful yet subtle portrait of life in the U.S. before the Civil War, this story examines what slavery meant to people on two of the three sides. Told in both the past and present, it is a story of innocence, loneliness, and friendship, as Suzanna befriends Bethlehem, a slave in her uncle's home in Virginia. Unaware of the risks and dangers involved, Suzanna teaches Bethlehem to read, then takes her along when she runs away, heading home to Vermont and freedom. The two girls tell their story together, in alternating chapters; their several escapes, problems, and growing friendship reveal understanding, and remorse. The narration, performed by Christina Moore, Barbara Caruso, and Lynne Thigpen, is perfectly matched to the text--we hear both characters age along with the story itself. All three narrators expertly portray the characters' range of emotions, creating a sense of the various times and places they lived in and examining the choices they made along their journey. W.L.S. (c) AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine

March 2, 1992
In the fall of 1896 elderly Susannah McKnight coaxes her granddaughter Mary to travel with her to Canada to visit someone Mary regards as an ``old slave woman.'' Mary's vision of Bethlehem Reid is shattered, however, when she hears an amazing story of undying friendship and courage. As young girls Susannah and Bethlehem helped each other escape to the North: for Bethlehem, freedom; for Susannah, a return to the home she loved. Rich and emotionally resonant, this compelling, true story is told in compassionate, lush language; delighting not only in its poetic imagery and uncompromising clarity of expression but in the suspense and adventure of the girls' flight to personal liberty. Bethlehem and Susannah's friendship, born of circumstance and necessity, is never sentimentalized but remains fierce and heartbreaking to the last. This powerful, moving and thought-provoking narrative is sure to stay with readers long after it is finished. Ages 8-12.

A powerful yet subtle portrait of life in the U.S. before the Civil War, this story examines what slavery meant to people on two of the three sides. Told in both the past and present, it is a story of innocence, loneliness, and friendship, as Suzanna befriends Bethlehem, a slave in her uncle's home in Virginia. Unaware of the risks and dangers involved, Suzanna teaches Bethlehem to read, then takes her along when she runs away, heading home to Vermont and freedom. The two girls tell their story together, in alternating chapters; their several escapes, problems, and growing friendship reveal understanding, and remorse. The narration, performed by Christina Moore, Barbara Caruso, and Lynne Thigpen, is perfectly matched to the text--we hear both characters age along with the story itself. All three narrators expertly portray the characters' range of emotions, creating a sense of the various times and places they lived in and examining the choices they made along their journey. W.L.S. (c) AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine