Review of MINTY--A Story of Young Harriet Tubman
by Caleb Powell (with a little help from Mommy and Daddy)


"MINTY--A Story of Young Harriet Tubman" written by Alan Schroeder and illustrated by Jerry Pinkney is about Harriet Tubman when she was 8 years old and lived on the Brodas plantation in Maryland. Back then, she was called "Minty" as a nickname for her real name "Araminta."

One day, Minty got in trouble with Mrs. Brodas and after she spilled cider in the main house, Mrs. Brodas became angrier and sent Minty to work as a field slave where she had to plant wheat and rye, and work with the corn. Minty liked being outdoors even though the outside work was really hard.

Minty was ordered to go to the river one day to catch muskrats. But, when she was supposed to be catching the muskrats, she was actually letting them go because she wanted them to be free just liked she wished she could be free.

When she was trying to let a third muskrat go free, Minty heard a noise that turned out to be the slave overseer on his horse. Minty got whipped for what she had done, and she couldn't walk for many days. Now, more than ever, she really wanted to run away, and she told her dad, Old Ben, about what she planned to do. Her dad told her there were things about running away that she needed to learn first.

One thing Minty's dad taught her was where the North Star was and how she should follow it when she decided to run away to escape slavery. Find out what else he taught her and what happened when she first tried to run away!

Caleb is a 9-year-old homeschooler who is proving to be an all-around athlete. He plays soccer, basketball, flag football and runs track. In May 2005 he won a "Most Outstanding Performance" award at the District 2 Hershey Track and Field Championships, covering all of Northeast Florida. "While leading the soccer and football leagues in goals and touchdowns, Caleb is keenly aware of the feelings of the opposition and his teammates," says Coach James May who coaches Caleb in each sport. "He never wants to run up the score against competitors," May explains, "and uses his skills to create opportunities for even his least athletically-inclined teammates to score."

When he's not on the field, court or track increasing his skills with Coach May, Caleb enjoys joking around with his family and friends, swimming, and playing the piano and sports video games.



October 1, 2005