| From the Dust Jacket |
She wanted to stay awake, wanted to see what freedom looked like, felt like at midnight, then at the cusp of dawn.
Freedom. Mariah has barely dared to dream of it her entire life. When General Sherman’s march through Georgia during the Civil War passes the plantation where she is enslaved, her life changes instantly. Joining the march for protection, Mariah heads into the unknown, wondering if she can ever feel safe, if she will ever be able to put the brutalities of slavery behind her.
On the march Mariah meets a young man named Caleb, and a new dream takes root—one of a future with a home of her own and a true love by her side. But hope often comes at a cost. As the treacherous march continues toward the churning waters of Ebenezer Creek, Mariah sees that the harsh realities of her and her peoples’ lives will always haunt them.
Award-winning author Tonya Bolden sheds light on a little-known moment of the Civil War in a searing, poetic novel about the dream of freedom.
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Ages 13 and up | 230 pages
Hardcover | Bloomsbury USA | 2017 | ISBN: 978-159990-3194
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Audio: Meet-the-Author Book Reading with Tonya Bolden (Courtesy TeachingBooks.net)
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Crossing Ebenezer Creek Made It On These “Best” Lists …
Kirkus Reviews: Best Teen Books of 2017
School Library Journal: Best Books 2017 – Young Adults
Shelf Awareness: 2017 Best Children’s & Teen Books of the Year
The Texas Library Association: 2018 TAYSHAS Reading List
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Crossing Ebenezer Creek Reviews
“Bolden . . . bravely concludes this concise, moving story with a historically accurate and horrifying ending.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review
“The well-executed premise, a compelling love story, and unique historical details will appeal to fans of Ruta Sepetys’s Salt to the Sea . . . This moving and engrossing portrayal of a little-known historical tragedy belongs on all YA shelves.” —School Library Journal, starred review
“Mariah and Caleb’s unforgettable story is everything historical fiction should be: informative, engrossing, and unflinching . . . . A poetic, raw, and extraordinary imagining of a little-known, shameful chapter in American history.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review
“With keen insight, Bolden mines a lesser-known historical event and brings the human cost vividly to life . . . Bolden’s trenchant, powerful novel is a strong testament to the many lost lives that certainly did—and still do—matter.” —Booklist, starred review
“Mariah and Caleb’s . . . heartbreaking fate will elicit equal parts outrage and sorrow.” —BCCB
“Readers will fall in love with Bolden’s gentle lyricism as she unflinchingly unfolds a difficult story.” —Shelf Awareness, starred review
“Breathtaking. . . . Bolden fleshes out a small, harrowing historical betrayal, weaving an unforgettable story and capturing both the frailty and resilience of hope.” —The Horn Book Magazine
Recommended by a Fellow Historical Fiction Author
Meg Wiviott (as seen on Shepherd.com)