Do you know a teen that is a reluctant reader?  Nightjohn is a powerful novel for anyone toabsorb, but it is a dramatic motivator for our older teens that undervaluereading.  Set in the south duringslavery, Sammy, a pre-adolescent slave, chooses to risk herself and the livesof others to experience learning.  Theplantation where she was born is owned by a harsh, brutal man that buys and sellsslaves with no regard for human value. He punishes anyone that exhibits anyeducation or desire for such.

 This very graphicportrayal of just how horrible some slaves were treated tells the importantstory of the value of education to combat such ignorance.  Nightjohn, a former escaped slave hasreturned to the south to teach others to read. His willingness to risk his life for the betterment of others will speakvolumes to those of us who take for granted our freedom to learn.  Warning: this is a very brutal and graphic presentation of slavery.