Continuing the story of Corzon and Isabelle begun in Chains (Simon & Schuster, 2008), Laurie Halse Anderson takes her protagonists into the heart of the Revolutionary War. Enlisting in the patriots’ army to avoid re-enslavement after escaping from a British prison, Corzon ends up in an army regiment that winters with Washington’s troops at Valley Forge. Details of life there unfold in vivid scenes that also chronicle Corzon’s growing friendship with fellow soldiers, most (but not all) of whom treat him as an equal. When Corzon’s former master shows up at Valley Forge, Corzon is re-enslaved and discovers that runaway Isabelle has also been captured. Anderson deftly uses flashbacks to recount necessary details from Chains as she sets this compelling tale of the fierce desire for freedom against the backdrop of our nation’s fight to be free of tyranny. A helpful question-and-answer section at the novel’s end clarifies fact from fiction in a narrative grounded with terrific characters, and propelled by a swift-paced plot. (Age 11 and older)

“One of the best novels they have ever read.” —Kirkus Reviews

Curzon navigates the dangers of being a runaway slave in this keenly felt second novel in in the historical middle grade The Seeds of America trilogy from acclaimed author Laurie Halse Anderson.

Blistering winds. Bitter cold. And the hope of a new future.

The Patriot Army was shaped and strengthened by the desperate circumstances of the Valley Forge winter. This is where Curzon the boy becomes Curzon the young man. In addition to the hardships of soldiering, he lives with the fear of discovery, for he is an escaped slave passing for free.

And then there is Isabel, who is also at Valley Forge—against her will. She and Curzon have to sort out the tangled threads of their friendship while figuring out what stands between the two of them and true freedom.