Review by Robbie, aged 9 and Seren, aged 8 of “Freedom Train” – a Treetops Graphic Novel.

Freedom train is a really good book.

It’s all about slavery a long time ago…

 A young slave girl named Lizzie escapes from her cruel owner, Marshall. When she escapes, her friend gets shot in the back. We both agreed that it was sad at that moment, and quite unexpected!

After that, Lizzie has to trust others to guide her to the Promised Land. The Underground Railroad was a secret system that Lizzie had to use to escape Marshall. 

When she escapes, she meets Samson. Samson was a friend of Elijah, and when Lizzie told Samson the Elijah had been shot in the back he was very upset. After he heard the news, he decided he couldn’t lose anyone else. He sent Lizzie to Philadelphia in a cargo of cotton to keep her safe. 

When she arrived, she found a station and she also found her first conductor named William Still. After that, William told Lizzie to go back to her cotton cargo to continue her journey. While she was sleeping, she had dreams about the faces of people she had left behind. Meanwhile, Marshall put up a poster saying that Lizzie was missing and that whoever found her would get $50…We were both worried that Marshall would find Lizzie.

When Lizzie arrived at her next destination, she met someone called Harriet Tubman. Lizzie didn’t know at the time but Harriet Tubman was one of the most interesting people she would ever meet. She said to Lizzie that she would take her to Canada…. At the end of the story Lizzie escapes to the Promised Land and lives happily ever after.

Seren said that it is one of the best books she has ever read. Robbie said he had read better books but he also said that this one is pretty good as well.

Robbie - aged 9 and Seren - aged 8.