About the Book
As the Revolutionary War begins, 13-year-old Isabel wages her own fight for freedom. Promised freedom upon the death of their owner, Isabel and her sister, Ruth, in a cruel twist of fate become the property of a malicious New York City couple, who have no sympathy for the American Revolution and even less for the two girls. When Isabel meets Curzon, a slave with ties to the Patriots, he encourages her to spy on her owners, who know details of British plans for invasion. She is reluctant at first, but when the unthinkable happens to Ruth, Isabel realizes her loyalty is available to the bidder who can provide her with freedom.
Discussion Questions
- Describe the life of slaves in the American colonies in the 1700s. Discuss the difference between a servant and a slave. How did Miss Mary Finch’s view of slavery differ from that of most slave owners? Why does Mr. Robert accuse Isabel of lying when she tells him that she read Miss Mary’s will? Explain why Pastor Weeks thinks that teaching a slave to read only “leads to trouble.”
- The American Revolution was about freedom and liberty. Mr. Lockton, a Loyalist, thinks that freedom and liberty has many meanings. Define freedom from his point of view. How might the Patriots define freedom and liberty? Isabel has lived her entire life in bondage, but dreams of freedom. What does freedom look like in Isabel’s mind?
- Isabel encounters a woman in the street singing “Yankee Doodle,” and realizes that the woman is a messenger. What is the message? Colonel Regan gives Isabel the code word ad astra to use when entering the rebel camp. The word means “to the stars” in Latin. Why is this an appropriate code word for the rebels? How does this word foreshadow Isabel and Curzon’s ultimate escape to freedom at the end of the novel?
- The mayor of New York, a Loyalist, says, “The beast has grown too large. If it breaks free of its chains, we are all in danger. We need to cut off its head.” Who is the beast? Who is the head? Why is Lockton so adamantly opposed to the mayor’s proposal?
- What does Isabel mean when she says, “I was chained between two nations”? There are several references to chains throughout the novel. How is the word “chain” used as an antonym to the word “freedom”?
Chains
Age Level:
Middle Grade Genre:
Fiction, Historical Fiction Published:
2008