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Forge (2011)

by Laurie Halse Anderson(Favorite Author)

4.78 of 5 Votes: 4

ISBN

1416961445 (ISBN13: 9781416961444)

languge

English

genre

Romance

publisher

Atheneum

series

Seeds of America

review 1: “Forge” a middle school novel by esteemed adolescent author Laurie Halse Anderson is an excellent Historical Fiction choice for any teacher looking to enhance their students learning about the issue of American Slavery during the Revolutionary War period.“Forge” is the sequel to Anderson’s award winning novel “Chains”. “Forge” picks up where “Chains” leaves off but focuses on the male protagonist named Curzon. Curzon, a runaway slave, leaves his female counterpart and protagonist of “Chains”, Isabel, and heads North. Eager to hide his runaway status Curzon heads North and finds himself in the middle of the Battle for Saratoga New York a major turning point in the Revolutionary War. Anderson seamlessly weaves together the gripping story of Curz... moreon and his adventures as a runaway slave with the historical details of the Revolutionary War. The story includes detailed accounts of the Battle of Saratoga with vivid descriptions of battle scenes and soldiers perspectives of war. The story moves along and details the Continental Soldiers horrific winter at Valley Forge. The story concludes with a gut wrenching account of Curzon’s recapture and struggle with his former slave master.Overall, “Forge” gives a middle school teacher an excellent opportunity to explore the world of Revolutionary America and creates the basis of an interactive student centered literature circle project. Students, in groups of four, can be assigned rotating roles on a weekly basis which will allow all students to participate in all aspects of the literature circle activity.Discussion Director - The discussion directors job is to formulate six questions which will guide the discussion about the assigned chapters. Question 1 is an explanation question. Question 2 is an Interpretation Question. Question 3 is an Application Question. Question 4 is a Perspective Question. Question 5 is an Empathy Question. Question 6 is a Self-Knowledge Question.Content Connector - The students must find four passages from the assigned chapters which relate directly with content being covered in the classroom.Word Wizard - The students must find six social studies words in the assigned chapters. They have to quote the word in context, define the word and create their own sentence using the word.Story Summarizer - The students must write a one paragraph summary for each of the assigned chapters.
review 2: "Forge," the sequel to the book, "Chains," is the story of Curzon Bellingham (who prefers to be called Curzon Smith) after escaping the chains of slavery with his friend, Isabel. Isabel leaves Curzon after a heated argument, and runs away, leaving Curzon alone. He finds a job working with a blacksmith, and continually tries to find clues leading to where Isabel could have gone. One day, Curzon finds the American army in the Battle of Saratoga, and decides to re-enlist into the war. As the war progresses, the soldiers go to fight in Valley Forge, where the soldiers are tortured from all the harsh conditions. Suddenly, Curzon's worst nightmare comes to reality: he is found by Bellingham, his former owner. Bellingham takes Curzon back as his slave, where he finds out Isabel has been owned by Bellingham. Curzon takes the responsibility to free himself with Isabel, after Isabel tells him what she was gone through since being captured by Bellingham.I liked this book because it picked off exactly where "Chains" left off, and was told in a different perspective. I would recommend it to anyone who read "Chains"and enjoyed the story. less

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