Chains

by Laurie Halse Anderson

The author of Speak and Fever 1793 has returned with another fast-paced glimpse into American history.

The year is 1776 and everyone is talking about freedom.  To Isabel, freedom is a cruel joke.  Her former mistress promised to set her free, but then she died and her nephew sold Isabel and her sister to a cruel Loyalist family in New York City.   Grieving the death of her mother, her kind former mistress and her dream of freedom, Isabel struggles to adjust to life in the New World's biggest city.  As if that weren't enough, her new family is not only loyal to King George, they are actively working to support His Majesty's troops against these pesky rebels.  Since Isabel is nothing but a slave, they have no qualms about talking in front of her, saying things the rebels would pay dearly to know.  That leaves Isabel with an awkward question:  What is most likely to keep her and her sister safe: being loyal to the cruel family who own her, or spying for George Washington's army?