Anthony Burns

The Defeat and Triumph of a Fugitive Slave

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Now in Laurel-Leaf, Virginia Hamilton's powerful true account of the sensational trial of a fugitive slave.

The year is 1854, and Anthony Burns, a 20-year-old Virginia slave, has escaped to Boston. But according to the Fugitive Slave Act, a runaway can be captured in any free state, and Anthony is soon imprisoned. The antislavery forces in Massachusetts are outraged, but the federal government backs the Fugitive Slave Act, sparking riots in Boston and fueling the Abolitionist movement.

Written with all the novelistic skill that has won her every major award in children's literature, Virginia Hamilton's important work of nonfiction puts young readers into the mind of Burns himself.
  • WINNER | 1996
    Massachusetts Children's Book Master List
  • WINNER | 1989
    Jane Addams Children's Book Award Honor Book
  • WINNER | 1988
    ALA Best Books for Young Adults
  • WINNER | 1988
    Boston Globe-Horn Book Award
  • WINNER | 1988
    Coretta Scott King Author Honor
  • WINNER | 1988
    Horn Book Fanfare
  • WINNER | 1988
    School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
  • WINNER | 1988
    Virginia Library Association Jefferson Cup Book Award
"Moving and unforgettable." -- School Library Journal, Starred

"Beautifully written . . . a riveting reality tale whose legacy, even now, is not finished." -- The New York Times Book Review
Virginia Hamilton, storyteller, lecturer, and biographer, was born and raised in Yellow Springs, OH, which is said to be a station on the Underground Railroad. Her grandfather settled in the village after escaping slavery in Virginia. She was educated at Antioch College and Ohio State University and did further study in literature and the novel at the New School for Social Research. Virginia was the first African American woman to win the Newbery Award, for M.C. Higgins the Great. Since then, she has won three Newbery Honors and three Coretta Scott King Awards. In 1992, Virginia was awarded the Hans Christian Andersen Medal, which is presented every two years by the International Board on Books for Young People, in recognition of her entire body of work. Virginia writes first for the pleasure of using words and language to evoke characters and their world, and in historical accounts such as Anthony Burns, the lives of real people. Secondly, Hamilton writes to entertain, to inspire in people the desire to read on and on good books made especially for them.

Leo and Diane Dillon have twice won the Caldecott Medal View titles by Virginia Hamilton

About

Now in Laurel-Leaf, Virginia Hamilton's powerful true account of the sensational trial of a fugitive slave.

The year is 1854, and Anthony Burns, a 20-year-old Virginia slave, has escaped to Boston. But according to the Fugitive Slave Act, a runaway can be captured in any free state, and Anthony is soon imprisoned. The antislavery forces in Massachusetts are outraged, but the federal government backs the Fugitive Slave Act, sparking riots in Boston and fueling the Abolitionist movement.

Written with all the novelistic skill that has won her every major award in children's literature, Virginia Hamilton's important work of nonfiction puts young readers into the mind of Burns himself.

Awards

  • WINNER | 1996
    Massachusetts Children's Book Master List
  • WINNER | 1989
    Jane Addams Children's Book Award Honor Book
  • WINNER | 1988
    ALA Best Books for Young Adults
  • WINNER | 1988
    Boston Globe-Horn Book Award
  • WINNER | 1988
    Coretta Scott King Author Honor
  • WINNER | 1988
    Horn Book Fanfare
  • WINNER | 1988
    School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
  • WINNER | 1988
    Virginia Library Association Jefferson Cup Book Award

Reviews

"Moving and unforgettable." -- School Library Journal, Starred

"Beautifully written . . . a riveting reality tale whose legacy, even now, is not finished." -- The New York Times Book Review

Author

Virginia Hamilton, storyteller, lecturer, and biographer, was born and raised in Yellow Springs, OH, which is said to be a station on the Underground Railroad. Her grandfather settled in the village after escaping slavery in Virginia. She was educated at Antioch College and Ohio State University and did further study in literature and the novel at the New School for Social Research. Virginia was the first African American woman to win the Newbery Award, for M.C. Higgins the Great. Since then, she has won three Newbery Honors and three Coretta Scott King Awards. In 1992, Virginia was awarded the Hans Christian Andersen Medal, which is presented every two years by the International Board on Books for Young People, in recognition of her entire body of work. Virginia writes first for the pleasure of using words and language to evoke characters and their world, and in historical accounts such as Anthony Burns, the lives of real people. Secondly, Hamilton writes to entertain, to inspire in people the desire to read on and on good books made especially for them.

Leo and Diane Dillon have twice won the Caldecott Medal View titles by Virginia Hamilton