The Forbidden Schoolhouse: The True and Dramatic Story of Prudence Crandall and Her Students
Written by: Suzanne Jurmain
Junior High and High School Grades
"Jurmain has plucked an almost forgotten incident from history and has shaped a compelling, highly readable book around it. In 1831, Prudence Crandall opened a school for young white ladies. When asked by an African American teenager if she might join the class, Crandall, whose sympathies were with the abolitionists, agreed. So begins a jolting episode in which Crandall turned her school into one for girls of color, and is both tormented and sued by the citizenry of Canterbury, Connecticut, who wanted no part of African Americans in their town. Writing with a sense of drama that propels readers forward (and quoting the language of the day, which includes the word nigger), Jurmain makes painfully clear what Crandall and her students faced, while showing their courage as they stood up to those who tried to deter them. Printed on thick, snowy stock and including a number of sepia-toned and color photographs as well as historical engravings, the book's look will draw in readers. Children will be especially pleased by the appended material, which includes an epilogue that tells what became of the principals, as well as source notes for the many quotes."
American Library Association Review
Awards:
Blue Ribbon Nonfiction Award, 2006
Orbis Pictus Award, 2006
Web Resources:
http://www.cultureandtourism.org/cct/cwp/view.asp?a=2127&q=302260
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