Multicultural Children's Book Day 2022

Finish the Story: Harriet Tubman's Secret Raid

By Jeffrey Bensam

Published by Storyopolis Press, 2021

Review

Finish the Story: Harriet Tubman's Secret Raid is an interactive middle grade novel with activities to complete as one reads about Harriet Tubman's mission in South Carolina to free 700 people from slavery and destroy plantations along the Combahee River. I didn't learn about this in school, and I don't know if this is part of many curricula, but readers will learn about this historic defeat of Confederate forces. I did light research on History.com here so I would have a basic understanding of the situation that Harriet Tubman's Secret Raid lands readers in. As an aside, how fortuitous that my Multicultural Children's Book Day book match is about a woman who changed the course of history! 

 

I must admit, I wasn't sure how a choose-your-own-adventure could work with an historic event. Harriet Tubman's Secret Raid is a fluid blend of fiction and nonfiction. At the outset, Danny and Kenna are listening to Danny's grandmother's story about her grandfather's experience with Harriet Tubman. Danny's grandmother explains that she only knows part of the story; Danny and Kenna will have to fill in the gaps as Tubman's raid from Combahee River unfolds. The children are swept away by the grandmother's storytelling to join Harriet Tubman on her mission. As the story progresses, cross-curricular challenges arise, prompting the reader to use STEM and language arts skills to determine the missing details. When Danny, Kenna, and Harriet Tubman find that the escapees are reluctant to go with them to safety, readers are given three outcomes to choose from. This is where the choose-your-own-adventure comes into play. After readers select the outcome, Danny and Kenna are pulled out of the story, and Danny's grandmother explains how Tubman really dealt with the escapees' reluctance. 

Harriet Tubman's Secret Raid is educational, engaging middle graders with history while drawing connections between different academic fields. For those of you familiar with the Choose Your Own Adventure series or Teacher Created Resources, this activity-filled story is similar in that the focus is on the reader solving problems rather than connecting with complex characters or reflecting on the deeper meaning of the narrative. I would pair this with a Harriet Tubman biography in a Civil War unit for the classroom or homeschooling. 

Instructions for use of the book precede the story itself, and back matter includes answers to different challenges that arise throughout.

Harriet Tubman's Secret Raid is a fast-paced, activity-filled story that introduces children to what may be a lesser known success of an historical heroine.

Note: A review copy was provided by Storyopolis Press for the purpose of review for MCBD2022.

About Multicultural Children's Book Day

Multicultural Children’s Book Day 2022 (1/28/22) is in its 9th year! This non-profit children’s literacy initiative was founded by Valarie Budayr and Mia Wenjen; two diverse book-loving moms who saw a need to shine the spotlight on all of the multicultural books and authors on the market while also working to get those books into the hands of young readers and educators.

MCBD’s mission is to raise awareness of the ongoing need to include kids’ books that celebrate diversity in homes and school bookshelves. Read about our Mission & History HERE.

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FREE RESOURCES from Multicultural Children’s Book Day

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Join us on Friday, Jan 29, 2021, at 9 pm EST for the 8th annual Multicultural Children's Book Day Twitter Party! Be sure and follow MCBD and Make A Way Media on Twitter!

This epically fun and fast-paced hour includes multicultural book discussions, addressing timely issues, diverse book recommendations, & reading ideas.

We will be giving away an 8-Book Bundle every 5 minutes plus Bonus Prizes as well! *** US and Global participants welcome. **

Follow the hashtag #ReadYourWorld to join the conversation, connect with like-minded parts, authors, publishers, educators, organizations, and librarians. See you all very soon on Twitter!

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