Escapes!

June 1, 2004
Gr 5-9-These 10 stories feature people throughout history who were enslaved, oppressed, or fleeing enemy armies. The time periods range from 73 B.C.E. when Spartacus led a legion of slaves into the mountains to escape sure death as gladiators to 1979 when American Embassy diplomats went into hiding to escape the wrath of Ayatollah Khomeini revolutionaries. In 1941, Douglas Bader, who lost both legs in an airplane crash, went on to be a squadron leader for the RAF and was shot down by Hitler's Luftwaffe. As the airplane plummeted to earth he freed himself from his metal leg and parachuted into enemy territory and later got away from his captors by knotting hospital bedsheets together. These plot-driven stories center on human ingenuity and resourcefulness in the face of danger. They could serve as an enticement for reluctant readers or as read-alouds.-Vicki Reutter, Cazenovia High School, NY

Copyright 2004 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.