The Story of Jonas

Maurine F. Dahlberg

Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Download Image Maurine F. Dahlberg The Story of Jonas
Buy it now

Available Formats

BookeBook
Jonas has lived all of his thirteen years on a farm in Missouri, and even though he hears whispers about freedom, he thinks he’ll never try to escape. He knows what happens to slaves who attempt to run away. Besides, Master William has promised to make Jonas his personal manservant, and Jonas thinks fine suits and special privileges sound like a dream. But this dream is put on hold when, in 1859, Master William’s good-for-nothing son, Percy, decides to seek his fortune in the Kansas Territory gold fields, taking Jonas along as his cook and caretaker. Although Percy is a brutal master, Jonas is surprised to find that the other members of the wagon train don’t hold his views about slavery. Jonas even befriends a doctor’s daughter, who teaches him how to read. And with each word Jonas learns, he discovers that there are much bigger dreams a boy can have than being another man’s servant.
 
In this unforgettable novel, Maurine F. Dahlberg tells the story of a slave coming to understand his own worth.
 
The Story of Jonas is a 2008 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.

Connect with the Author

Sign Up for
Author Updates

Macmillan Newsletter

Sign up to receive information about new books, author events, and special offers.

Sign up now

Book Excerpts

Read an Excerpt

1JONAS EASED OFF HIS HURTFUL SHOES AND WIGGLED HIS toes up and down. His feet ached from being squeezed so tight, and they had been pricked where the shoe nails stuck through the stiff leather. But Master William and Miz Julia liked for their house servants here at Split Oak Farm to dress fancy, and those were the only shoes Jonas had. One pair of shoes a year, that was what slaves got.“Jonas, time to eat!” called Esther from the kitchen below.“Be there in a minute!” he hollered back down.

Read the full excerpt

Back

Reviews

Praise for The Story of Jonas

"The ability to let readers feel the essential cruelty of slavery without scenes of excessive brutality makes this well-crafted, engaging novel appropriate for a middle-grade audience."  --Booklist
 
“This gripping tale, with its exciting twists and turns, is easily accessible.”  —School Library Journal
 
“A lively story with a light touch and many a folksy turn of phrase.” --Kirkus Reviews
 
"The rick and vivid historical framework...offers the reader many topics for discussion and personal reflection." —IRA
Back

About the Author

Maurine F. Dahlberg

MAURINE F. DAHLBERG is the author of Escape to West Berlin, an NCSS-CBC Notable Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies, and two other novels for young readers. She lives in Springfield, Virginia.
 

Maurine F. Dahlberg

Back

Buy the Book

Available Formats and Book Details

The Story of Jonas
Maurine F. Dahlberg
Award

Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year, Georgia Children’s Book Award Master List (University of GA), Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Award Maser List, Missouri Mark Twain Award Master List, Oklahoma Sequoyah Young Adult Book Award Master List

Hardcover

Hardcover
Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
March 2007
Hardcover
ISBN: 9780374372644
ISBN10: 0374372640
Middle-Grade Fiction
5 1/2 x 8 1/4 inches, 160 pages, Author's note
Age Range: 8 to 12
Grade Range: 3 to 7
$16.99

e-Book Agency

Learn more about this edition
e-Book Agency
Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
March 2007
e-Book Agency
ISBN: 9780374706708
ISBN10: 0374706700
Middle-Grade Fiction160 pages, Author's note
Age Range: 8 to 12
Grade Range: 3 to 7
$6.99
Back

From The Publisher

Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)

Latest on Facebook

Latest on Twitter

Back

{ About }

{ Services }

{ Store }

{ Publishers }

Education

Children's

© 2011 Macmillan