Ann Fights for Freedom-An Underground Railroad Survival Story

I’m happy be a Multicultural Children's Book Day reviewer again as we celebrate it’s SIXTH year!

Ann Fights for Freedom by Nikki Shannon Smith, illustrated by Alessia Trunfio for children ages 8 and up

Twelve-year-old Ann has at least one thing to be thankful for- at least her family is together. But when the master falls into debt, he plans to sell both Ann and her younger brother to two different owners. Ann is convinced her family must run away on the Underground Railroad.

But once her father is separated from the rest of the family, it's up to Ann to lead the others through danger and adventure. Will her determination eventually led her family to freedom? Hold your breath and find out!

Ann Fights for Freedom is part historical fiction, part adventure story. According to Smith, “When I wrote this story… I wanted to tell a realistic and accurate story, yet still write a book that children could enjoy. I also wanted to show many different kinds of people working together to lead enslaved people to freedom and to fight for equality.”

The beautiful full page illustrations throughout the book by Alessia Trunfio are done in tonal black and white. The text is printed on pages to look like parchment paper. This all adds to the historical context of the book.

Multicultural books such as this is an important way to help students to gain a better understanding of both their own culture and the cultures of others. It’s also a suspenseful and exciting read.

Smith adds, “I hope this story makes you hold your breath and cross your fingers for Ann. I also hope you learn a bit about history. Maybe you will work with others to fight for what you think is right,” Smith said. “Maybe YOU will be an everyday hero too”

Ann Fights for Freedom is available at bookstores and on Amazon here.

For more information about Nikki Shannon Smith, visit her website at:

www.nikkishannonsmith.com

Multicultural Children’s Book Day 2019 (1/25/19) is in its 6th year and was founded by Valarie Budayr from Jump Into A Book and Mia Wenjen from PragmaticMom. Our mission is to raise awareness of the ongoing need to include kids’ books that celebrate diversity in homes and school bookshelves while also working diligently to get more of these types of books into the hands of young readers, parents, and educators.

MCBD 2019 Medallion Level Sponsors

Honorary: Children’s Book Council, The Junior Library Guild, TheConsciousKid.org.

Super Platinum: Make A Way Media

GOLD: Bharat Babies, Candlewick Press, Chickasaw Press, Juan Guerra and The Little Doctor / El doctorcito, KidLitTV, Lerner Publishing Group, Plum Street Press,

SILVER: Capstone Publishing, Carole P. Roman, Author Charlotte Riggle, Huda Essa, The Pack-n-Go Girls,

BRONZE: Charlesbridge Publishing, Judy Dodge Cummings, Author Gwen Jackson, Kitaab World, Language Lizard – Bilingual & Multicultural Resources in 50+ Languages, Lee & Low Books, Miranda Paul and Baptiste Paul, Redfin, Author Gayle H. Swift, T.A. Debonis-Monkey King’s Daughter, TimTimTom Books, Lin Thomas, Sleeping Bear Press/Dow Phumiruk, Vivian Kirkfield,

MCBD 2019 Author Sponsors

Honorary: Julie Flett, Mehrdokht Amini,

Author Janet Balletta, Author Kathleen Burkinshaw, Author Josh Funk, Chitra Soundar, One Globe Kids – Friendship Stories, Sociosights Press and Almost a Minyan, Karen Leggett, Author Eugenia Chu, CultureGroove Books, Phelicia Lang and Me On The Page, L.L. Walters, Author Sarah Stevenson, Author Kimberly Gordon Biddle, Hayley Barrett, Sonia Panigrah, Author Carolyn Wilhelm, Alva Sachs and Dancing Dreidels, Author Susan Bernardo, Milind Makwana and A Day in the Life of a Hindu Kid, Tara Williams, Veronica Appleton, Author Crystal Bowe, Dr. Claudia May, Author/Illustrator Aram Kim, Author Sandra L. Richards, Erin Dealey, Author Sanya Whittaker Gragg, Author Elsa Takaoka, Evelyn Sanchez-Toledo, Anita Badhwar, Author Sylvia Liu, Feyi Fay Adventures, Author Ann Morris, Author Jacqueline Jules, CeCe & Roxy Books, Sandra Neil Wallace and Rich Wallace, LEUYEN PHAM, Padma Venkatraman, Patricia Newman and Lightswitch Learning, Shoumi Sen, Valerie Williams-Sanchez and Valorena Publishing, Traci Sorell, Shereen Rahming, Blythe Stanfel, Christina Matula, Julie Rubini, Paula Chase, Erin Twamley, Afsaneh Moradian, Claudia Schwam, Lori DeMonia, Terri Birnbaum/ RealGirls Revolution, Soulful Sydney, Queen Girls Publications, LLC

Co-Hosts and Global Co-Hosts

We’d like to also give a shout-out to MCBD’s impressive CoHost Team who not only hosts the book review link-up on celebration day, but who also works tirelessly to spread the word of this event.

A Crafty Arab, Agatha Rodi Books, All Done Monkey, Barefoot Mommy, Biracial Bookworms, Books My Kids Read, Crafty Moms Share, Colours of Us, Discovering the World Through My Son’s Eyes, Descendant of Poseidon Reads, Educators Spin on it, Growing Book by Book, Here Wee Read, Joy Sun Bear/ Shearin Lee, Jump Into a Book, Imagination Soup, Jenny Ward’s Class, Kid World Citizen, Kristi’s Book Nook, The Logonauts, Mama Smiles, Miss Panda Chinese, Multicultural Kid Blogs, Raising Race Conscious Children, Shoumi Sen, Spanish Playground

TWITTER PARTY {Sponsored by Make A Way Media}

MCBD’s super-popular (and crazy-fun) annual Twitter Party will be held 1/25/19 at 9:00pm.E.S.T. TONS of prizes and book bundles will be given away during the party. CLICK HERE for more details.

Join us for MCBD’s super-popular (and crazy-fun) annual Twitter Party on 1/25/19 at 9:00pm E.S.T. TONS of prizes and book bundles will be given away during the party. #readyourworld CLICK TO TWEET