Advanced
Error loading page.
Try refreshing the page. If that doesn't work, there may be a network issue, and you can use our self test page to see what's preventing the page from loading.
Learn more about possible network issues or contact support for more help.
Title details for Nightjohn by Gary Paulsen - Available

Nightjohn

#1 in series

by Gary Paulsen
ebook
1 of 2 copies available
Borrow Read a sample Read a sample
1 of 2 copies available
"To know things, for us to know things, is bad for them. We get to wanting and when we get to wanting it's bad for them. They thinks we want what they got . . . . That's why they don't want us reading." — Nightjohn
"I didn't know what letters was, not what they meant, but I thought it might be something I wanted to know. To learn."—Sarny
Sarny, a female slave at the Waller plantation, first sees Nightjohn when he is brought there with a rope around his neck, his body covered in scars.
He had escaped north to freedom, but he came back—came back to teach reading. Knowing that the penalty for reading is dismemberment Nightjohn still retumed to slavery to teach others how to read. And twelve-year-old Sarny is willing to take the risk to learn.
Set in the 1850s, Gary Paulsen's groundbreaking new novel is unlike anything else the award-winning author has written. It is a meticulously researched, historically accurate, and artistically crafted portrayal of a grim time in our nation's past, brought to light through the personal history of two unforgettable characters.

  • Creators

  • Series

    Nightjohn

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    August 31, 2011

  • Formats

    • Kindle Book

    • OverDrive Read

      • ISBN: 9780307804228

    • EPUB ebook

      • ISBN: 9780307804228
      • File size: 2040 KB

  • Languages

    • English

  • Levels

    • ATOS Level: 3.8
    • Lexile® Measure: 630
    • Interest Level: 4-8(MG)
    • Text Difficulty: 2-3

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      January 4, 1993
      Among the most powerful of Paulsen's works ( Hatchet ; The Winter Room ; Dogsong ), this impeccably researched novel sheds light on cruel truths in American history as it traces the experiences of a 12-year-old slave girl in the 1850s. Narrator Sarny exposes the abuse (routine beatings, bondage, dog attacks, forced ``breeding'') suffered by her people on the Waller plantation. The punishment for learning to read and write, she knows, is a bloody one, but when new slave Nightjohn offers to teach her the alphabet, Sarny readily agrees. Her decision causes pain for others as well as for herself, yet, inspired by the bravery of Nightjohn, who has given up a chance for freedom in order to educate slaves, Sarny continues her studies. Convincingly written in dialect, this graphic depiction of slavery evokes shame for this country's forefathers and sorrow for the victims of their inhumanity. Ages 12-up.

Formats

  • Kindle Book
  • OverDrive Read
  • EPUB ebook

subjects

Languages

  • English

Levels

  • ATOS Level:3.8
  • Lexile® Measure:630
  • Interest Level:4-8(MG)
  • Text Difficulty:2-3

Loading