Trouble Don't Last By Shelley Pearsall

Emily

I grumbled through the first half of this book because I so did not want to read it. Shelley Pearsall is coming to visit our school, and so I had to read it. It just wasn't jiving with what my reading tastes were craving. But I kept going, and I am oh-so glad I did. I almost cried when I finished it about 5 minutes ago. This is a suspenseful and endearing book, one that is very deserving of its awards. I live in an Ohio town full of Underground Railroad history, and I cannot wait to have the author visit and talk about this excellent story of freed slaves. She did a great job of taking some adult ideas - the essence of freedom and the ugliness of slavery- and delivering them to children in a way that will make them see, feel and know how it was to travel from being a piece of property to a place where even the sky can belong to you. Great book.

Shane M

Imagine being a 11 year old slave boy, and having no rights or anything like that. It would be hard, right? In my opinion, this was an amazing adventure and story. This book is about 11 year old Samuel and 73 year old Harrison, who are trying their hardest to escape from their owner, Master Hackler.

This book takes place on a farm in Kentucky, to their journey to the north. This is important to the story because it proves they started from Kentucky, on a slave farm, and go on a journey to hopefully be free. Samuel is awoken one night by Harrison, Harrison is carrying a backpack, and holding a lantern. He tells Samuel to get up and follow him, and Samuel does, not realizing what's happening. Long story short, the next day, they are hiding in a tree about 20 miles north of the farm. They go on a huge journey, going north. Eventually, they get to the so called, "free side." A white man commands them to fish for them, and Harrison is very depressed. He thought it would be different. Then, they meet a nice lady, who never mentions her name, and gets them on a boat to Canada. They are stopped by 4 white men with pistols, and they ask for their free papers. Out of nowhere, Samuel reaches into Harrison coat, and pulls out an old news paper. Then one of the men says, "What does it say?" And the man responds, "It says their free." After that, they live safely in Canada, and Samuel finds his lost mother and finds out the Harrison is his grandfather. The type of conflict is person vs person because they are always stopped by people and hit by people, etc.
The theme of this book is to never give up, look at where they started, and look at where they finished. That's some progress there.

The 1st person point of view affects this story because it makes it feel like you are in the story, I don't know how to put it, but it just feels like that. The title relates to the book because "Trouble Don't Last" means that trouble you get yourself into, won't last once you are long gone. In the story, they go through lots of trouble, and it makes them who they are. A major event that changed the character is when Samuel found out that Harrison was his grandfather, it changed how he thought of him.

I was surprised when the guy believed that the newspaper was their free papers, but then I looked it up and it turns out, basically no one knew how to read back then. If I were the author I would have maybe added a little more to the end, because the moment I finished it I wanted to read a sequel. I was satisfied with the way the book turned out in the end, it was an amazing book.

I would rate this book 5 out of 5 because it was in my opinion one of the best books I've ever read. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes adventure books and books with a good story. Just think if you ever think you're life is hard, just imagine what they went through.

Adam James

There's an art in choosing books to give children. There's an even more precise skill in determining books to offer in a book club workshop setting. Historical fiction can be a challenge for many readers - and pin-pointing appropriate content with a fast-paced plot can be an even bigger challenge for teachers.

All that being said, Trouble Don't Last by Shelley Pearsall nicely toes the line for what's appropriate for middle schoolers. The plot never drags as Harrison and Samuel are confronted with a myriad of obstacles - but the reality of the time period is never fully indulged by the author.

So, in looking for a well-paced, appropriate book about slavery - Trouble Don't Last works.

Unless it doesn't - I'm giving it to my kids this week...

Donut (Lucino)

Trouble Don’t Last Book Report
Written by: Lucino Sotelo
Warning
Spoiler Alert!!!
If you want to read this book I suggest you not read this and if you don’t like to read be prepared for boredom

The author’s name is Shelley Pearsall there is no illustrator. She has also wrote a number of books such as The “Seventh Most Important thing” about a boy and how he is sentenced to work as a trash picker and finds out secrets about a friend that he never knew he had. Another book that she wrote is “Jump into the sky” about a boy trying to find his long lost father and has to go to the south to find him but it is dangerous time for him to go. Shelley Pearsall has also won the Scott O'Dell Award. The genre is Historical Fiction and the Sub-Genre is Adventure. It is an adventurous book. The point of view was first and it helped portray the character in a better way and helped you as the reader understand what the characters are thinking on their journey. Now I will give a brief summary on the book Sam is a 11 year old Slave on a plantation and always finds himself in the middle of trouble. He is always curious one day in the middle of the night old Harrison a fellow slave comes in the house where Sam sleeps and brings him to run away and they run into obstacles of uncertainty and question trust and the way Sam finds out a lot about his past and Harrison's.

The story takes place in a lot of places but I will tell you the important stops along there way. They start of at the master's house in Blue Ash Kentucky. where they make their escape then they go to the Ohio river and get across because of the river man, he gives them very good advice. Later they go to a church and hide there. Then later they got brought to Negro Hollow where Harrison gets sick and they stay there for a couple weeks then they get on a train cart that takes them all the way through most of Ohio. They get off the cart and caught right before they get on the boat to canada but thanks to some of the river man’s advice and sam’s quick thinking they outsmarted the Slave catchers and they got to freedom in Chatham Canada. The settings were mostly in houses that were part of the underground railroad and for a while on a train cart . The story takes place in September,1859 as mentioned in page 2. The setting changes the plot a lot because if they didn’t go on the underground railroad and say they tried to escape on their own then we wouldn’t have gotten the feel on how it was like to escape using a rocky system instead we would have gotten how it was like to have been escaping without help on your own. It could not have taken place in any other place in the world because slavery was only in North America and it couldn’t have taken place in another time because slavery didn’t exist in 1970 or 2010.

Now I will be talking about the characters. The main characters are Samual a twelve year old boy who finds himself in the midst of trouble and is fast and quick on his feet and is deceptive at times like when he tricks the slave catchers to believe that they had free papers to save them his companion Harrison on the other hand is almost the exact opposite he is slow,old and brings a little bit of wisdom and has seen a lot Because he had tried to run away before and is almost always cranky and trusts almost nobody like when the people from the church write their life story harrison doesn’t trust them and he rips the paper into shreds when they leave. Another person they meet along the way was Ordee Lee who is a runaway slave who is a supporting character and is strong like when he is chained to the ground the slave catchers say that he will be worth a lot of money because he is strong and a little sensitive because when they are chained to the ground and Harrison and Sam are still he is crying. Two other supporting characters are August and Belle they are both part of the underground railroad and help Harrison and Sam. These two are very useful and Belle is nice a way she shows this is by while they're there acting as a mother to Sam and August is protective because when Sam first comes in he points a gun at Sam because he can’t see in the dark just incase it is a slave catcher or someone like that. Even another supporting character is the River Man a mysterious figure who helps Sam and Harrison get across the Ohio river. His characteristics are being threatening and helpful he is threatening because when Sam and Harrison get on his boat he says that if they give him any kind of trouble that he will kill them himself because he is a wanted man. He is helpful because he gives some tips to Sam that later on help him out smart slave catchers and become free.

Now I will talk about the plot summary. The two main protagonists that we follow throughout the story are Samuel/Sam and Harrison.How I know that they are the two protagonists is because they are fighting for there freedom and escaping and when you fight for something that is right (freedom is right just to clear that up) than you know that there protagonists. The Antagonist is Slavery the way I now is because the protagonist doesn’t always conquer the antagonist in this book the protagonist tries to escape Slavery which in some ways is conquering it but if we look at it from a broader perspective conquering Slavery would mean conquering it for everybody and that didn’t happen until much later not to mention that it could not happen in a two month time span. The Supporting characters are Ordee Lee a slave that they run into in the end he becomes free with them he helped by not trying to help I know that it might sound confusing but the way he helped is by a sheet of paper he stole from his home that looked like free papers and Sam tricked the patrollers that those were there free papers. Other supporting characters are August and Belle these two helpful people are part of the underground railroad and took care of Sam and Harrison when Harrison was sick with lung fever they ended up staying at there house for a week or two and then when Harrison feels better they send them on a train. Even another supporting character is the River Man the book doesn’t give him an exact name and he helps the two get across the Ohio River before patrollers get to them and he teaches Sam some helpful skills that ended up being the only thing later that separated them from freedom in canada and being back in slavery. The story begins in the Master's house were Harrison brings Sam along for the bumpy ride to freedom . The rising action is how the relationship changes when Sam finds out that Harrison is his grandfather another part of the rising action is when Harrison gets really sick and is on the verge of death. The Climax is when Harrison,Sam and Ordee Lee get caught right before the enter the boat to freedom. The falling action is when Sam solves the problem by his quick thinking by out smarting the patrollers into thinking a paper that Ordee Lee brought was there free papers. The resolution is when they go to canada and get free and when Sam reunites with his long lost mother.

There are multiple morals I will just name a few. The first moral is to never give up this is shown multiple times one time is when Harrison gets sick Sam doesn’t just give up even if his companion is very,very sick Sam stays by his side and refuses to go on without him. Another way that is when they are caught and it seems hopeless Sam doesn’t give up and ends up saving the three because he didn’t give up.Another moral is always keep your head high or what they said keep eye on the sun. My proof is the chapter itself because the last chapter in the book is called keep your eye on the sun because that is when they get free through all of the ups and downs the still keeped there head up and kept believing they would get to freedom even when the times got tough. Another time they kept their head high is when they were stuck at the ohio river but this doesn’t stop Harrison he tries a signal that ends up saving them and in a way that kind of takes us back two my first one never give up. My last moral is sometimes you have to do something bad but for the right reason my first proof is that Harrison doesn’t tell Sam that he is his grandfather which might seem wrong at first but when you think about it and what they were doing say Harrison gets hurt and can’t travel any more or gets sick and Sam has to go on without him even though there very good friends it would make it much, much harder if he knew he was his grandfather that would be like leaving your dad and especially since Sam’s mom got sold away he would feel like Harrison was his only family. Another piece of proof is when of proof is when Sam and Harrison leave Lily behind at first it seems wrong to not even tell a fellow slave about there escaping but when you think about Lily a widow slave whose children died and she goes to visit them every week even harrison mentions it she would be leaving too much behind and she would not be happy so it was for the best.

I loved the chapter Haste will be your undoing because I felt like it was the highlight of the book the last and hardest barrier when they run into the slave catchers and it looks like all their hard work will be for nothing the three somehow make it out because of Sam’s quick thinking. Another chapter or passage that I personally enjoyed was The River Man where we learn about a mysterious man who helps Sam and Harrison get across the Ohio river. Another chapter or passage that I liked was Keep your eye on the sun that is the chapter when Sam,Harrison and Ordee Lee make it to freedom and Sam and Harrison reunite with Sam’s long lost mother and Harrison’s long lost daughter. My fourth favorite chapter is Harrison’s secret because that is when we learn why Harrison took Sam it is when we learn Harrison is Sam’s grandfather and I also like that chapter because they were in negro hollow and I loved all of the chapters when they were in negro hollow I also like August and Belle the free african americans who helped Sam and Harrison. My favorite literary element was the setting because it was the time and place that made this book the time was 1859 which means slavery if it even took place in 1866 it wouldn’t have been the same story because the civil war ended by then and slaves were set free and it couldn’t have taken place somewhere else because slavery was only in North America. I would recommend this book for 5th through High School students because it is an intense time when this took place and you have to have studied this time to know where these characters are coming from. I thank you for your time and energy I hope you learned something from this.

Jack

Trouble Don’t Last Book Report
Shelley Pearsall was born in 1966 in Ohio. She has a husband named Mike and a son named Ethan. Some of her hobbies are: swimming, gardening, attending the theatre and spending time with family. Other books she has written are Jump to the Sky, Crooked River, All Shook Up, and The Seventh Most Important Thing.

For Trouble Don’t Last, the genre is historical fiction and the sub genre is adventure. The narrator is the main character Samuel, so the point of view is first person because Samuel is telling the story.

An 11 year old boy named Samuel works at Master Hackler's farm. He doesn’t have a mom, so two slaves named Harrison and Lily take care of him. One night, old cranky Harrison wakes up Samuel and together they try to escape to Canada, “The land of free.” They only bring a small sack of things for their journey. Do you think they will make it to freedom? Read to find out!!

The story starts at a plantation in Blue Ash, Kentucky. Samuel and Harrison climb a tree and spend the night in the branches before they go to a cornfield by the Ohio River. At the river, they meet the River Man, who takes them across to the other side.

Next, the River Man man brings them to a house that has a Widow Lady. The next night, the Widow Lady takes them to a church. They stay the night. The next morning, a woman named Mis Kettle puts them in a disguise so they can walk around without being noticed. Eggs, Mis Kettle’s husband, brings them to a peddler's house to sleep. He tricks them into wasting their money on a piece of cold bacon and a bad place to sleep. The peddler reads their fortunes and tells them that something bad and something unexpected will happen to them.

The next day Harrison is sick, but the peddler takes them to a place called Negro Hollow, where they stay for about a week. Finally, they get on a train where they get taken to Sandusky, OH. They get caught by patrollers, but the constable tricks the patrollers by saying Samuel and Harrison are free. They continue on their journey and cross Lake Erie to freedom.

Trouble Don’t Last takes place in the country in September of 1859 until the day they reach freedom. The setting has to be in the country because you could not run in a cornfield in the city, and in the city there are not acres and acres of land to build a plantation on.
My final reason that it couldn't take place anywhere else, is that it has to take place before 1865 because that was the year slavery was abolished.

Main Characters
Harrison: Samuel’s guardian. He is cranky and impatient, and always criticizes Samuel. His weakness is his legs that go very slow because of rigor mortis.
Samuel: An 11 year old boy that has a good spirit, NEVER stops talking and wants to know everything. He is also very smart and never gives up.

Supporting Characters
Master Hackler: The demanding plantation owner. His weakness is a slave named Lily that always gets him to lean toward doing what she wants, like not whip Samuel when he is bad.
Miss Catherine: Master Hackler’s wife. She is very rude, impatient and demanding.
Belle and August: Very nice freed slaves that save Harrison from lung fever.
Mis Kettle and Eggs: Very nice freed slaves that are good at disguising slaves so they can walk out in the open to a safe house.
River Man: A mysterious man with scars all over his face. He helps slaves across the Ohio River. He is very swift going through the woods.
Ordee Lee: A slave that they meet up with on the train. He is very jumpy, excitable, and very fast thinking.

The protagonist is Samuel because we follow him throughout the story. He helps his friends escape to freedom. The antagonist is slavery because they are fighting against the law of slavery. Slave catchers are all over the place are trying to get Samuel and Harrison back to their owners.

Some of the people that helped Harrison and Samuel are:
Belle and August, who help Harrison and Samuel by letting them stay in their home until Harrison gets rid of lung fever. The River Man helps them get across the river. Without him, they would’ve gotten caught by slave catchers. Finally, Mis Kettle and Eggs are nice people that help disguise Harrison and Samuel so they can make it to a safe house. Without them, they would’ve been caught by a passing slave patroller.

The story begins on a big plantation owned by Master Hackler in Blue Ash, Kentucky. Harrison was the handy man on the plantation. Lily was the maid of the house. She kept the house clean and the Hackler family's bellies full.

Harrison, well, he wanted to be free. So, in the middle of the night, he woke up Samuel and they stole a sack of things for their journey. Then together, they ran just off the plantation to a big tree to climb and hide. That is where the story starts!

The rising action is Samuel and Harrison crossing the river and almost getting caught! Also, when the River Man pushed a demanding woman back across the river to slavery. Another rising action is when Samuel and Harrison go to a chapel to spend the night. The next morning, Mis Kettle and Eggs gave them disguises so they could walk out in the open. But, a white man halted them and took their fish that Eggs had caught that morning. He threw one in the sand for them to keep. The final rising action is when Samuel and Harrison go to a little village called Negro Hollow. A couple named Belle and August save Harrison from dying from lung fever that he got that morning. A week later, August put them on a train, where they meet Ordee Lee. They stay on the train all day and that is where the climax starts.

The climax is when they get off the train around midnight and an abolitionist brings them to a cargo building where they spend the night. In the morning, they act like they are part of his crew. The abolitionist told them that this plan works every time. But, this time it didn’t. Samuel saw black boots while he was pretending to work, then he found himself being tied up and slammed to the floor. They brought the Constable over to decide what to do with them. The Constable asks for their free papers. Samuel thinks fast and gets the picture of Ordee Lee’s family and gives it to him. For some reason, or a miracle, the Constable looks down and says quietly, “They’re free!!!”

The falling action is when they go on a ship that takes them to Canada. When they are in the middle of Lake Erie, Ordee Lee says, “Where did the land go?” The final words are spoken by Harrison when he says, “Look up, look up at this beautiful free sky.”

The story ends with Samuel and Harrison reaching freedom and Samuel finding his mother. He also found out that Harrison is his granddaddy, so that means that his mother is Harrison’s daughter!

Some ways that Harrison changed are that he respected Samuel more as time went on. Instead of lying to Samuel, he started to tell him the truth. Some ways Samuel changed are that he became more disciplined and confident. He also wasn’t so clumsy. I think he became extremely brave on this long journey.
My final reason is that they both felt what it is like to be FREE!!!

I think one theme of the story is never give up. Harrison and Samuel never gave up throughout the story. If they did give up, they probably would not have made it to Canada. An example of not giving up is when they were about to get caught while crossing the Ohio River.

My next theme is to work together to succeed because without Harrison and Samuel working together, they wouldn’t have made it to Canada. If they were on their own, they would have failed. An example of them working together is when Harrison had rigor mortis and he had to get a piggyback ride from Samuel.

My third theme is good vs. evil because slavery is evil and freedom is good. In most stories, good wins over evil and that’s what happened in this book. An example is when they got caught, freedom won because the constable lied about them being free. Freedom wins over slavery, good wins over evil.

I really liked the book Trouble Don’t Last. I especially liked when they were about to get caught, but at the last moment they got away. Those parts were very suspenseful. Like the time they crossed the Ohio River just when the slave-catchers got out of the cornfield on the other side. And the time Master Hackler almost caught them in the tree. My final favorite suspenseful part is when they got caught on the harbor and the Constable lied and said they were free.

I really liked the setting in the story because it showed me what slavery was like in the late 1700’s and 1800’s. I liked how the story took place in a time when slavery was strong, and how the story taught me about how painful it was to be a slave.

I would recommend this book for pretty strong third grade readers through sixth grade readers. Third graders would enjoy the story, and it would be an interesting and quick read for sixth graders.

I hope you like my book report, and hope you read Trouble Don’t Last because it’s a really good book.

By: Jack J. Tepper

David

An amazing escape story.

Emma

Really good book. Had lots of plot twists which made it exciting.

Steph

Solid historical fiction with a strong example of relationship.

Ruth Mika

this is a must read! Samuel is a twelve year old slave boy. His mother was sold as wagers for a poker game when he was young. That left Lily, the kitchen slave, and Harrison, the old outside slave, left with his raising. His Master was cruel so one night Harrison decided to run and took Samuel with him. This story gives an account of how the Underground Railroad worked. Many people worked together but some even took advantage of the runaways by charging them money. They finally reached Canada through the quick thinking of Samuel.A very suspesful book.

Jeri

A great piece of historical fiction about the underground railroad told from the perspective of slaves who were running away from a plantation in Kentucky. The story was riveting, the characters were well developed, and the short chapters were often so suspenseful that children would be aching to keep reading. I immediately ordered another of Pearsall's books when I finished reading this one because I was so enthralled by her writing.

Kaylee H

The book that I was reading is TROUBLE DON'T LAST the author is Shelley Pearsall. The setting is back when there was slaves it doesn't really say what year it is. The characters are Samuel is the main character, Harrison is an older man that is also a slave, Lilly that raised Samuel like her own. It actually took me awhile to find this book because, the cover is all worn out and is a dull purple so it didn't really catch my attention right away. I saw it beside a book that seemed interesting then I picked this one up and the boy on the cover cought my attention and, it just went from there.
            This book is about Samuel and Harrison's story on how they ran away to get to the free land so they won't be slaves anymore. They meet multiple people that helped them get to freedom. There were times they almost got cought and taken but, they didn't let it stand in their way.
            I liked the ending it went the way I thought it would but, I disliked one thing that happened that I didn't think was going to happen but it did. I can't tell you without spoiling it so I will just let you find out yourself. My favorite part in the book was when Samuel got really scared and started running because, he heard some noise in the woods and thought it was a snake that was chasing him. There was nothing there he was just scared it was so funny.
         My personal opinion about this book is that it was really good there was a little bit of comedic relief from all the seriousness and, I like that she did that. A book that reminds me of this one is Uncle Tom's Cabin. If you like reading books that kind of touches your heart a little bit by a good story then you will like this one.

Echo

This was a very nice story that illustrates the world of slavery in a refreshing light. Eleven-year-old Samuel was born a slave. He never knew his mother because she was sold when he was too young to remember. He has spent his entire life on one plantation. Until one fateful night when Old Harrison, the man who helped raise him, calls to him in the night and takes him further than he ever thought possible. This book shows the harsh realities of slavery without being too graphic and disturbing, but it also shows the kindness of those who helped operate the underground railroad and how slaves found their way onto its tracks. The novel doesn't play favorites and shows the good and the bad in ALL the humans involved in this world, no matter the color of their skin. It is realistic and rings true in a world that wants to make one skin color the good guys and one the bad, when humanity is and always has been more complex than that. I would say this novel is geared more toward a younger audience, maybe middle school age, but it was a great book, better than many that are currently being taught.

Laura

This was one of the books my district provides for the 6th grade classroom libraries. I hadn't read it before so I decided to give it a read.

In a way, I was disappointed. I knew it was an African-American book meant to diversify my classroom library. It just seems that the majority of books provided to me for African-American males are either about gangs or slavery. I'd like more books about normal, modern, middle class African American males for the middle grades because that's actually what the majority of my students are.

But I have to think of the students' perspective. They're still learning about slavery. They don't have the history background I have. From that point of view, this is a solid read about the Underground Railroad and the realities of slave life. What would drive a person to leave all he/she knows to some unknown place and people? Hope is strong!

That is something I want for my students. With all the bad news in media and social media, I want them to remember that hope is strong.

Ryne

A great escaped-slave narrative that made me realize, even more, just how difficult it would be to attempt an escape like this. Samuel has never spent a day of his life outside the plantation where he was born, he can't read, and he's never seen a map to know where Canada is: how hard would that be to escape? And yet he did (and, more importantly, real-life enslaved people did).

One thing I didn't enjoy, though, was the fact that (HUGE SPOILER ALERT)
But hey, if that actually happened once or twice in history, then I stand corrected.

Brooke - TheBrookeList

Reminds me a bit of Elijah of Buxton, but perhaps without some of the spunk and from the opposite end of the Underground Railroad. Samuel is taken north by elderly slave, Harrison. They experience the stresses of the journey many slaves experienced grading north in the Underground Railroad, but seem to be acted upon rather than dynamic actors themselves. The characters are likeable and the story makes sense. The wisdom and heart pains expressed by Harrison are of the most value.

Read for the Davis School District ELA curriculum board. Literary merit isn’t stupendously high and I feel it is closer to a 5-6th grade level, so curious about the request for approval at a secondary level.

Kiersten

This was a heart-pounding page turner from page one to the end. Pearsall does an amazing job vividly painting the journey on the Underground Railroad. Samuel is endearing with his timid and naive ways. Harrison has earned his right to be jaded, grumpy, and suspicious. The contrast between the two characters highlights the difficulties in knowing who to trust when the stakes are so high. This would make an excellent addition to any middle school curriculum covering this time period in American history.

Darcie Saunier

The front of the book says "Astonishing...a thrilling escape story. - Booklist". Astonishing? Thrilling? While it is a good book, I honestly wouldn't use either of those words to describe it because I found it to be neither. It was interesting, accurate, and a good book for middle readers about the Underground Railroad. I guess I expected more suspense and surprise. The Booklist quote may have hyped it up too much for me.

Reviews May Vary

Excerpt of review submitted to Sound Commentary.

Eleven-year-old Samuel was born a slave in Kentucky and lives under the strict rules of his household. He is often in trouble for making mistakes. When he is woken in the middle of the night by grumpy old Harrison he doesn’t know what to think but he knows he is going to be in trouble. When he realizes that Harrison is planning for them to run away (“Harrison is stealing me!”), it is too late.

Those with special interest adventurous escapes, in the American South during slavery, or in stories about the enslaved seeking freedom through journeys to the North will be especially pleased with this one. Because it’s middle grade, there are references to the hardships on plantations worked by enslaved folks without much gruesomeness. There’s some light adventure scariness (e.g., being chased, possible bad guys in dark spaces, etc.)

Elizabeth

I really enjoyed this book! Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres. I think this book offered a great insight into the lives of enslaved people- it definitely doesn’t sugarcoat the struggles of those working on a plantation, those trying to run away, and even those with their free papers. I like how the author pulled from true stories written in accounts from the Underground Railroad and meshed this together with her own fictional creation.

Karen K - Ohio

The story of two slaves who in 1859 try a desperate attempt to escape slavery using the Underground Railway. One an old beaten down slave prepared to escape or die trying and a young reluctant boy more frightened of the unknown than of his enslavement. A fiction account based on documents, letters, records and memoirs of the time, make the story read like non-fiction.

Christy Wahl

Excellent and captivating read. I read this to my students to help them get a better feel for what slaves endured. Realistic without being too scary, gives a good glimpse into what someone their own age may have thought and felt as he was running towards freedom.

Lauren

I appreciate what this book is trying to accomplish, but feel conflicted about the fact that this is written by a white woman. It frames it in a slightly white savior-y way that didn't sit quite well with me.

Title	:	Trouble Don't Last
Author	:	Shelley Pearsall
Rating	:
ISBN	:	0440418119
ISBN-10	:	9780440418115
Language	:	English
Format Type	:	Paperback
Number of Pages	:	256
Publication	:	First published January 1, 2001
Awards	:	Scott O'Dell Award (2003)

Trouble Don't Last by Shelley Pearsall

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