THE STORY OF JONAS

When Master William’s good-for-nothing son Percy takes Jonas with him to search for gold in the Kansas Territory, Jonas’s dream of becoming Master William’s manservant is dashed. But Jonas, who has lived in slavery for 13 years, finds there are bigger dreams a young man might have. When he meets Quincy and Miss Sky on the journey, he comes to understand that he can be liked as a friend and equal, not just used for free labor. He becomes a good cook, leads a wagon train and learns to read and count, and he has new experiences such as riding on a steamboat, shopping for goods in a store and seeing a city. He realizes he has a good head, but he also realizes that he can never go back home to bondage: “how would the new Jonas fit into the old Jonas’s life?” Given the subject matter, this is a lively story told with a light touch and many a folksy turn of phrase. A satisfying tale for the intended audience. (author’s note) (Fiction. 8-12)