Krista Russell

Chasing the Nightbird is a story about a young boy who's father passed away. It starts out with the reader thinking it is going to be about sailing. There are a lot of boat terms that would be good for a student to learn while reading. The story takes a turn and the young boy is "kidnapped" by is brother whom is his rightful guardian. The story ends up being about the young boy's concious decision about doing the right thing.

This story is good for a couple of reasons. It could be used to introduce slavery in the states. It doesn't go too in depth about it but it could be a good way to grasp students attention and to introduce such a big topic in our history.… (more)

Chasing the Nightbird
by Krista Russell

2.5 stars/Fiction; Juvenile

Chasing the Nightbird was an okay story but not great. I agree with a few of the other reviewers when they said there was definitely an element of adventure that is lacking in this book geared toward middle school age readers.

Lucky has a dream of living life as a sailor on his own ship. Life changes for him though when his half brother and guardian forces him into slave labor. Lucky spends lots of time throughout the book thinking of ways to escape and develops friendships along the way but overall the story is fairly lack-luster. The work was the same, the setting was the same and after a while, it became a little boring to read.

I think the author does a good job bringing to light the practice of slavery and opens the door for discussion about the Underground Railroad. However, I feel that unless you have a curious young reader who is willing to ask the questions, I doubt this book will make any long term impression on them.

It was a good idea and the storyline was decent but kids at this reading level generally seek something with a little more action and flair. There was little in this story that I think would cause the average student to research the topic further unless this book was used in a classroom setting.… (more)