NightJohn

Bibliography:
Paulsen, Gary. 1993. NightJohn. Delacorte Press: New York, NY. ISBN 0-385-30838-8.

Plot Summary:
This book is about a 12-year-old slave girl named Sarny. Sarny tells of the inhumanity that takes place on the Waller plantation and how it makes her feel. Although she is not yet old enough for "the troubles" of breeding or being a farmhand, she thoroughly understands the immense pain she will soon face combined with the discomfort and hunger that she currently experiences. Sarny explains how she met Nightjohn, a slave who travels in the night from one slave camp to another to teach slaves how to read and write. Sarny knows this is forbidden but cannot resist the temptation to learn. Once she is caught with her newfound knowledge, she and those around her are punished for her betrayal. Despite her fear, she escapes with Nightjohn to an underground pit school to learn with others like herself.

Critical Analysis:
The main character in this story, Sarny, is young and believable enough to young readers. The imperfect Sarny is someone that many young adults can relate to with her excitement about the unknown and the risks one takes to find out, "I be making the word and forgot where I was...I knew... I was just excited." At the same time, Sarny and the other characters within the book are true to their time with the dialects and language patterns used such as, "Mammy", "ain't", "the master whipped her his ownself", "come be making us free", etcetera.

The plot and setting is realistic to the time period, as slavery was a known event during this time. The author portrays these events accurately and provides enough detail to educate the reader of the setting. From the clothing (tarp-cloth and rawhide) to the food (pork fat, tobacco, cornbread) to the description of housing quarters on the plantation, Paulsen accurately illustrates the living conditions for slaves in the 1850's.

The theme of hope, inspiration and perserverance is timeless. Although the perceived "Pale white maggot ugly" whites of the time were forbidding the blacks to be free physically, emotionally, religiously, or mentally, Nightjohn renewed hope for all blacks when he explained and then demonstrated his success at escaping to freedom.

Excerpt Reviews:
Publisher's Weekly: "Among the most powerful of Paulsen's works..."
Children's Literature: "Taking on the personae of these characters will not only develop your young writers' voices, but will also immerse them in history from a first-hand point of view. "

Connections:
*This book can be used to discuss the living conditions of slaves during the 1850's.
* This book can be used to teach a lesson about perserverance and hope.
*This book can be an engage component for a lesson or craft on appreciation or things that we are grateful for.