Tuesday, April 17, 2018

MIDNIGHT TEACHER, LILLY ANN GRANDERSON AND HER SECRET SCHOOL REVIEW


Midnight Teacher
Lilly Ann Granderson and her Secret School
by Janet Halfmann
Illustrated by London Ladd
Midnight Teacher, Lilly Ann Granderson and her Secret School, by Janet Halfmann, illustrated by London Ladd, is an important true story of a slave who dedicated her life to educating fellow slaves. Lilly Ann Granderson secretly taught many slaves to read and write before and after the Civil war. It was a daring and risky undertaking, so it was done at night. Even though they risked severe punishment by being beaten, Lilly Ann Granderson and her students felt it was worth the risk to become educated and have a chance for a better life and even the ability to escape to freedom in the North.

Ms. Halfmann put a lot of careful research into bringing this story to students, teachers, and librarians. At the back of the book is an Afterword about accomplishments directly attributable to Lilly Ann Granderson’s teaching and efforts to establish schools; plus, there’s information on the lives and contributions of her descendants. Ms. Halfmann has included several excellent Selected References for further reading and study.

This is a great historical addition to classrooms and school libraries to show how important literacy and education are to people’s lives, especially to people like Blacks and other minorities who have constantly been denied equal educational opportunities throughout their history in America. Midnight Teacher is highly recommended for students, teachers, and librarians. Lee and Low Books list this book for reading level grade 2 to 6. The detailed illustrations by artist London Ladd clearly show and clarify what is happening in Lilly Granderson’s story, which helps lower grade students to visualize and better understand the seriousness of that period in history.

Information on talented children's author, Janet Halfmann is at http://www.janethalfmann.com/

Information on artist London Ladd is at https://www.londonladd.com/

Reviewed by:

Penelope Anne Cole
Children’s Author, Writer, Poet, and Reviewer
SLO Night Writers Golden Quill Non-Fiction Finalist 2017
Tri-Valley Writers Conference 2017 Prose Award
San Mateo County Fair Short Story Award 2017
Award Winning Author of Magical Matthew, Magical Mea,
Magical Mea Goes to School, Magical Max and Magical Mickey, and
Magical Max and Magical Mickey’s Big Surprise
In and Out, All ‘Round About – Opposite Friends
What’s for Dinner? and ¿Q vamos a comer?
For Halloween: Ten Little Tricksters and Diez pequeños bromistas
My Grandma and Me Coloring Book

1 comment:

  1. Thanks so much for this lovely review of Midnight Teacher. I appreciate it so much. I am hoping that the name of this brave and inspiring teacher will become a household word. It was an honor to be able to share her story with the world.

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