Freewater
Freewater is a 2022 children's novel by American author Amina Luqman-Dawson, and published by Little Brown and Company. The story, about two young children who escape from slavery and find a community in the Great Dismal Swamp, won both the Coretta Scott King Award and Newbery Medal in 2023.[1][2]
Plot
Luqman-Dawson's book is set in the southeastern United States during its slavery era. Two children and their mother are fleeing together from a horrific life on a plantation. The children become separated from the mother during the attempt. After making their way into a swamp, they are rescued by a Black man named Suleman, an escaped slave himself. He takes them to "Freewater": a community of Maroons hidden deep in the Great Dismal Swamp. Freewater is populated entirely by people who managed to escape slavery, as well as their children.[3] While the community of Freewater is a creation of the author, it is based on actual communities that existed in the area.
The book is written with an alternating point of view, helping to develop a large and "multidimensional cast."[4]
Reception
Luqman-Dawson's book has received generous praise. Kirkus Reviews calls the novel "An exceptional addition to the resistance stories of enslaved people," and singles out the setting's description for special praise: "...so vivid that it becomes a key aspect of the narrative."[3] BookPage calls the story "historical fiction at its finest."[5]
See also
References
- ^ "Coretta Scott King Book Awards - All Recipients, 1970-Present". American Library Association.
- ^ "Newbery Award Winners". Albuquerque Public Library.
- ^ a b "Freewater". Kirkus Reviews. Kirkus Media LLC. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
- ^ Njoku, Eboni. "Review of Freewater". The Horn Book. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
- ^ Verbeten, Sharon (February 5, 2022). "Freewater". BookPage. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
Awards | ||
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Preceded by The Last Cuentista | Newbery Medal recipient 2023 | Succeeded by |
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- The Story of Mankind (1922)
- The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle (1923)
- The Dark Frigate (1924)
- Tales from Silver Lands (1925)
- Shen of the Sea (1926)
- Smoky the Cowhorse (1927)
- Gay Neck, the Story of a Pigeon (1928)
- The Trumpeter of Krakow (1929)
- Hitty, Her First Hundred Years (1930)
- The Cat Who Went to Heaven (1931)
- Waterless Mountain (1932)
- Young Fu of the Upper Yangtze (1933)
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- Carry On, Mr. Bowditch (1956)
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- Island of the Blue Dolphins (1961)
- The Bronze Bow (1962)
- A Wrinkle in Time (1963)
- It's Like This, Cat (1964)
- Shadow of a Bull (1965)
- I, Juan de Pareja (1966)
- Up a Road Slowly (1967)
- From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler (1968)
- The High King (1969)
- Sounder (1970)
- Summer of the Swans (1971)
- Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH (1972)
- Julie of the Wolves (1973)
- The Slave Dancer (1974)
- M. C. Higgins, the Great (1975)
- The Grey King (1976)
- Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry (1977)
- Bridge to Terabithia (1978)
- The Westing Game (1979)
- A Gathering of Days (1980)
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- Dicey's Song (1983)
- Dear Mr. Henshaw (1984)
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- Sarah, Plain and Tall (1986)
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- Lincoln (1988)
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- Number the Stars (1990)
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- Shiloh (1992)
- Missing May (1993)
- The Giver (1994)
- Walk Two Moons (1995)
- The Midwife's Apprentice (1996)
- The View from Saturday (1997)
- Out of the Dust (1998)
- Holes (1999)
- Bud, Not Buddy (2000)
- A Year Down Yonder (2001)
- A Single Shard (2002)
- Crispin (2003)
- The Tale of Despereaux (2004)
- Kira-Kira (2005)
- Criss Cross (2006)
- The Higher Power of Lucky (2007)
- Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! (2008)
- The Graveyard Book (2009)
- When You Reach Me (2010)
- Moon Over Manifest (2011)
- Dead End in Norvelt (2012)
- The One and Only Ivan (2013)
- Flora & Ulysses (2014)
- The Crossover (2015)
- Last Stop on Market Street (2016)
- The Girl Who Drank the Moon (2017)
- Hello, Universe (2018)
- Merci Suárez Changes Gears (2019)
- New Kid (2020)
- When You Trap a Tiger (2021)
- The Last Cuentista (2022)
- Freewater (2023)
- The Eyes and the Impossible (2024)