The Freedom Maze

Sherman, D. (2011). The freedom maze. Easthampton: Big Mouth House. 267 pp. ISBN: 

     978-193152030-0
    This enjoyable book is set in the 1960's, right before the Civil Rights Movement. The main character is a thirteen year old, Sophia who has to live with her grandmother and her aunt for the summer. She does not enjoy this because her parents are going through a divorce. This also causes social issues because it is the 1960's, and single mothers were looked down upon. Sophia makes a wish to be someone else, so she gets transported back to the 1860's. In this time period she goes through major life changes as she lives the life of a slave. She was mistaken for a "mulatto" because she was tan due to it being summer time. The book would be a great addition to a social studies classroom because it describes two different time periods. It also is a good coming-of-age novel, which would appeal to middle school aged students.