Book Review - String of Hope

About the Book
in which she introduces readers to the early days of Wisconsin and to the joys and sorrows of a young slave girl, Louisa.

Even as the Mackinac boat brings her through rough waters to her new home at Fort Winnebago on the portage between the Fox and Ouisconsin Rivers, Louisa is planning her escape. This isn't her home, these aren't her people, and they speak a foreign language!

As time goes by, Louisa becomes friends with the Indian girl Prairie Flower and two older slaves who help make her new life bearable, but she continues to plan her getaway. When she is accused of stealing a precious conch shell from her mistress' mantel, it is the final straw. She has to flee as soon as possible.

The problem is, she can't escape alone. She needs help. Can she find it and successfully make her way back home to the family she loves?

About the Author

Carol McLernon grew up in the southwestern corner of Wisconsin and attended school in a ghost town. She did her undergraduate work at UW Platteville where engineering students still carry on the traditional ceremony of lighting the M on the nearby mound. The engineering department had its origins in 1837 as a mining school when Wisconsin was still a territory. She taught for many years in the schools of Lake Geneva, the last ones as reading specialist. Her grad work was done at UW Whitewater.

Carol and her husband have a farm on the outskirst of the tourist town, Lake Geneva where they’ve raised dairy calves, turkeys, and chickens, with varying degrees of success. She has three children Bonnie, Jim, and Ed; and is seen here with her grandchildren David and Kristi from Kaukauna, WI.

My Take on the Book
As someone who used to live within Wisconsin, this book sounded interesting as a historical novel. The book does draw you into the story itself and gives you a taste of the rich history that surrounds Wisconsin. Though this was a fictional tale, children can easily get a better understanding of what it would be like to be a slave  back in the time of this story.

In reading this book to my own daughter, she had many questions as we read it, but she enjoyed it and seemed to learn quite a bit from it overall. I always enjoy reading stories to my girls that allow them to hear about the diverse people who made our nation what it is today, and this story definitely provides the reader with a cultural view of our world in a time so different than our own today.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
New to the Divadom?
Please Subscribe to my RSS Feed! Subscribe in a reader
Questions?Drop me a line at dadofdivas@gmail.com