Passenger on the Pearl

The “compelling and inspiring” true story of one girl risking her life for a chance at freedom in the largest slave escape attempt in American history (VOYA).
In 1848, thirteen-year-old Emily Edmonson, five of her siblings, and seventy other enslaved people boarded the Pearl under cover of night in Washington, D.C., hoping to sail north to freedom. Within a day, the schooner was captured, and the Edmonsons were sent to New Orleans to be sold into even crueler conditions. Through Emily Edmonson’s journey from enslaved person to teacher at a school for African American young women, Winifred Conkling illuminates the daily lives of enslaved people, the often-changing laws affecting them, and the high cost of a failed escape.
“Clearly written, well-documented, and chock full of maps, sidebars, and reproductions of photographs and engravings, the fascinating volume covers a lot of history in a short space. Conkling uses the tools of a novelist to immerse readers in Emily’s experiences. A fine and harrowing true story.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Covers information about slavery that is often not found in other volumes . . . Conkling’s work is intricate and detailed . . . A strong and well-sourced resource.” —School Library Journal
“Edmondson’s life story is compelling and inspiring. It provides the perfect hook for readers into the horrors of slavery.” —VOYA
“Conkling is a fine narrator…Readers familiar with the trials of Solomon Northup will find this equally involving.” —The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
A Junior Library Guild Selection