Underground

December 3, 2007
Ferris (Across the Grain
) often centers her novels around change and choice, both of which come into play in this historical novel based on two real-life slaves who meet in 1839 Kentucky. With his lenient master, Stephen Bishop firmly believes that the freedom he feels exploring and guiding white folks through Mammoth Cave's intricate passageways is enough for him. But the arrival of 16-year-old Charlotte, the narrator, shakes that belief to the core. Bought to be a maid at the Mammoth Cave Hotel, Charlotte shares with Stephen both her misgivings about the cave, which has only one exit (“That made me even more sure I wasn't going in there. I was already one kind of trapped. I didn't want to be any other kind”) and her mistrust of any master who can sell her away from people she loves. Before long, Stephen's comfortable world no longer seems so perfect. Like the arduous journeys of the runaway slaves who Charlotte and Stephen help, Ferris's story moves slowly at times, picking its way through the daily struggles the slaves face even under relatively benign conditions. Some of the most exciting moments come when Ferris takes readers underground into huge Mammoth Cave to reveal bits and pieces about its topography and lore. Interspersed, too, are the stories of “runners” (runaway slaves) who remind Charlotte (and the audience) that the flight North is at best harrowing. Careful groundwork sets up both a love story and a daring adventure, which dramatically collide in a well-executed climax. Ages 12-up.

December 1, 2007
Gr 6-8-In Kentucky, in 1839, Stephen and Charlotte, both slaves, work at Mammoth Cave and its hotel. Charlotte narrates this introspective piece that dwells on the theme of what it means to be free. The two young people become involved in the Underground Railroad, eventually helping a young woman and her infant escape through the cave, emerging near the Ohio River. Charlotte is torn between her desire for freedom, to be gained by running away, and her desire to remain with Stephen, who is dedicated to the study and exploration of the cave. Students interested in the Underground Railroad, or who enjoy novels that take place "inside the head" of the main character will appreciate this evocative read. An author's note explains that although the people in the novel were real, Ferris has imagined their personalities and their involvement in the Underground Railroad. There is no evidence that Mammoth Cave was a part of that network. An accessible bit of historical fiction."Robin Henry, Griffin Middle School, Frisco, TX"

Copyright 2007 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 15, 2007
The versatile author of realistic fiction in Eight Seconds (2000), fantasy in Once upon a Marigold (2002), and historical fiction in Much Ado about Grubstake (2006), Ferris now offers a first-person, fictional slave narrative beginning, It was May of 1839 when I got sold. Again. Sixteen-year-old Charlotte is sent to work as a maid at a hotel near Mammoth Cave and finds companionship among the small group of slaves working there, including Stephen, who guides tourists through the cave and explores its secrets in his spare time. When Stephen helps a runaway escape through the cave, Charlotte faces a difficult choice about her own future. In more violent slave narratives, readers react against the brutal inhumanity of physical cruelty. Here they will confront the emotional pain inflicted by an institution that deprives its victims of self-determination and family ties. An appended authors note comments on the novels historical basis, including the lives of individual people portrayed here and, more briefly, the Underground Railroad.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2007, American Library Association.)