Search This Blog







2025 Cover Lovers Reading Challenge (hosted by Yours Truly)

2025 Literary Escapes Challenge
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona (1)
- Arkansas
- California (6)
- Colorado (3)
- Connecticut
- Delaware (1)
- Florida (1)
- Georgia (1)
- Hawaii (1)
- Idaho
- Illinois (1)
- Indiana (1)
- Iowa (3)
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine (3)
- Maryland
- Massachusetts (1)
- Michigan (2)
- Minnesota (2)
- Mississippi (1)
- Missouri
- Montana (1)
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey (1)
- New Mexico
- New York (7)
- North Carolina (3)
- North Dakota (1)
- Ohio (1)
- Oklahoma (2)
- Oregon (2)
- Pennsylvania (1)
- Rhode Island (1)
- South Carolina (1)
- South Dakota
- Tennessee (1)
- Texas (1)
- Utah (1)
- Vermont (3)
- Virginia (2)
- Washington (3)
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin (1)
- Wyoming (1)
- Washington, D.C.* (1)
International:
- Australia (3)
- Canada (3)
- England (14)
- France (2)
- Italy (1)
- Japan (1)
- Norway (1)
- Puerto Rico (1)
- Scotland (1)


2025 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge



2025 Build Your Library Reading Challenge









Monday, September 10, 2012
Come August Affecting, But Not Amazing
6:12 AM
(Image from Barnes & Noble)

When Gabriel's plans go awry, he decides to take a more aggressive stand. He's heard about Touissant-Louverture, a former slave whose successful fight for freedom abolished slavery in Haiti. He's also heard rumbles from white dissenters in Richmond. If all who oppose slavery fought it boldly, wouldn't the leaders of Virginia and the U.S. hear their pleas? As Gabriel battles for the rights he knows he deserves as a human being, he'll learn just how much freedom costs—in blood, sweat and tears.
Come August, Come Freedom (available September 11, 2012), a historical YA novel by Gigi Amateau, brings the cruelty and injustice of slavery to life with spare prose and poignant scenes. Gabriel is a sympathetic character, not just because he's owned by another man, but because he's brave, loyal and true. Although his story is difficult to read, it reminds us of the price real slaves paid for the right to be their own masters. That being said, I didn't love Come August, Come Freedom. The prose is a little too skimpy and distancing for my taste. While I cared about Gabriel, I didn't know him enough to really become invested in his story. Because of this, Gabriel's tale just didn't pack the kind of punch other books of this type have had. It is a quick read, though, and one that has stuck in my mind nonetheless. Overall, though, there are many other books about slavery that spoke to me stronger than this one did.
(Readalikes: Reminds me of Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson; Dear America: A Picture of Freedom by Patricia C. McKissack; Day of Tears by Julius Lester; Freedom Stone by Jeffrey Kluger; Island Beneath the Sea by Isabel Allende; and other stories about slavery)
Grade: C+
If this were a movie, it would be rated: PG-13 for language (no F-bombs), violence (including physical/sexual abuse) and mild sexual content
To the FTC, with love: I received an ARC of Come August, Come Freedom from the generous folks at Candlewick Press. Thank you!
1 comment:
Comments make me feel special, so go crazy! Just keep it clean and civil. Feel free to speak your mind (I always do), but be aware that I will delete any offensive comments.
P.S.: Don't panic if your comment doesn't show up right away. I have to approve each one before it posts to prevent spam. It's annoying, but it works!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments
(Atom)


Reading
Rabbit Rabbit by Dori Hillestad Butler and Sunshine Bacon

Listening
The Morning House by Maureen Johnson


Followin' with Bloglovin'

-
Happy Friday! Positivity Wave!2 hours ago
-
-
-
Hayley Hope is Gone by Michele Dominguez Greene12 hours ago
-
-
The Night Guest by Hildur Knútsdóttir12 hours ago
-
-
Book Quotes16 hours ago
-
-
The Unselected Journals Vol 418 hours ago
-
-
-
Audiobook: America’s Best Idea1 day ago
-
A Review of The Merlin1 day ago
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
The Beach House Murders by Peter Boland5 days ago
-
Clean teen books for Summer1 week ago
-
Books read in June1 week ago
-
-
-
-
No Roundup this month2 months ago
-
-
Sunday Post #5682 months ago
-
-
February 2025 Reading Wrap Up4 months ago
-
One Big Happy Family by Susan Mallery4 months ago
-
-
-
I'm Still Reading - This Was My October7 months ago
-
Review: The Duke and I10 months ago
-
Girl Plus Books: On Hiatus11 months ago
-
-
-
What Happened to Summer?1 year ago
-
6/25/23 Extra Ezra2 years ago
-
-
-
-
-
Are you looking for Pretty Books?2 years ago
-
-
-
-
-
-

Grab my Button!


Blog Archive
- ► 2021 (159)
- ► 2020 (205)
- ► 2019 (197)
- ► 2018 (223)
- ► 2017 (157)
- ► 2016 (157)
- ► 2015 (188)
- ► 2014 (133)
- ► 2013 (183)
- ▼ 2012 (193)
- ► 2011 (232)
- ► 2010 (257)
- ► 2009 (211)
- ► 2008 (192)


2025 Goodreads Reading Challenge
2024 - Elementary/Middle Grade Nonfiction
2023 - Middle Grade Fiction
2022 - Middle Grade Fiction
2021 - Middle Grade Fiction

2020 - Middle Grade Fiction

Once again a book I haven't heard of. Sigh!
ReplyDelete