Author(s): Ann Rinaldi

Young Adult Fiction

This is a moving historical novel based on the story of Phillis Wheatley - the first African American female poet.It is an intriguing and moving story of a young girl kidnapped from her home in Senegal and sold, in 1761, as a slave to the wealthy Wheatley family of Boston. Phillis Wheatley - as she comes to be known - has a keen intelligence and a knack for learning. When the family discover her gift for writing poetry, they begin to mould her future by having her 'perform' for influential guests. Eventually, she is sent to England, where her work is finally published - the first book of poetry by an African American woman. However, all the trappings of success do nothing to change the fact that she is still a slave.