BIOGRAPHIES
Moore, Michael Boulware

Freedom on the Sea: The True Story of the Civil War Hero Robert Smalls and His Daring Escape to Freedom

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Bryan Collier. During the Civil War, an enslaved man plans a daring escape. Robert Smalls steers a Confederate ship through Charleston Harbor with his wife, their children, and twelve other enslaved people on board. Their mission, to reach a Union blockade just beyond the harbor, was a “life-or-death voyage.” Moore builds the drama and suspense in the story of his great-grandfather’s escape (contextualized in an author’s note) with careful pacing, and the dangerous journey comes to life through beautiful, collage-style illustrations that capture the escapees’ emotions.

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