Dahlberg, Maurine. The story of Jonas.DAHLBERG, Maurine. The story of Jonas. Farrar, Straus & Giroux Farrar, Straus & Giroux Publishing company in New York City noted for its literary excellence. It was founded in 1945 by John Farrar and Roger Straus as Farrar, Straus & Co. . c2007. 160p. 0-374-37264-0. $16.00. J It is 1859 and people from the East are heading out to the Kansas territory The Territory of Kansas was an organized territory of the United States that existed from 1854-05-30, until 1861-01-29, when Kansas became the 34th U.S. state admitted to the Union. in search of gold. So it is that Percy Hooper, the spoiled son of William and Julia Hooper of Saline County, Missouri Saline County is a county located in the U.S. state of Missouri. As of 2000, the population was 23,756. Its county seat is Marshall6. The county was established in 1820 and named for the region's salt springs. Geography According to the U.S. , decides to try his luck panning for gold. Because Percy is not known for his ability to take care of himself, the Hoopers send Jonas along to cook and do laundry and generally take care of Master Percy. Jonas is a young slave who is waiting to be tall enough to be trained as Master William's manservant man·ser·vant n. pl. men·ser·vants A male servant, especially a valet. manservant Noun pl menservants a male servant, esp. a valet Noun 1. . He becomes a valued member of the wagon train wagon train, in U.S. history, a group of covered wagons used to convey people and supplies to the West before the coming of the railroad. The wagon replaced the pack, or horse, train in land commerce as soon as proper roads had been built. headed out toward Colorado. The wagon train is under the command of Jeremiah Quincy and Quincy's friend, Dr. Yoder. and Yoder's young daughter, Sophronia, are part of the group. Jonas proves to be an admirable cook and for the first time is given praise. From Sophronia, he learns basic letters and is treated as any other boy and not as a slave. When word from the plantation brings him devastating dev·as·tate tr.v. dev·as·tat·ed, dev·as·tat·ing, dev·as·tates 1. To lay waste; destroy. 2. To overwhelm; confound; stun: was devastated by the rude remark. news and Master Percy is asked to leave the wagon train, Jonas makes some hard decisions about freedom and following his own path. Taking place before the Civil War, the novel gives a gentle but realistic picture of slavery. Because Jonas is property, even those who do not agree with slavery are bound to obey the law. Readers are introduced to life on the trail and the responsibility each person shared in terms of food and shelter as they moved west. J--Recommended for junior high school students. The contents are of particular interest to young adolescents and their teachers. Janis Flint-Ferguson, Assoc. Prof., English, Gordon College, Wenham, MA |
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