Hang a Thousand Trees with Ribbons: The Story of Phillis Wheatley

Rating:
Summary: Who better to tell this story than Ann Rinaldi?
Review: "Hang a Thousand Trees With Ribbons: The Story of Phillis Wheatley" is not one of my favorite books by Ann Rinaldi, but I enjoyed it very much. Having not know anything about Phillis Wheatley, this book told me everything I could possibly ever want to know. The great thing about Rinaldi's books is, that at the end of the story, she tells you what really happened, what didn't happen, who is real, and who is fictional - something many Historical Fiction authors do not do often. The only thing I didn't like was how it seemed Ann Rinaldi did not know if she wanted to make us believe Phillis was a spoiled brat or a young girl who didn't know any better. I still give this book five stars, since this story was told quite well. I recommend.

Rating:
Summary: The First Black Poet Comes to Life in This Story!
Review: At the age of 7, Phillis Wheatley was kidnapped from her home country, Senegal, and was abusively shipped over to America along with her mother and friend. Although she drifted apart from her family, Phillis was bought and taken in by the rich Wheatley household. There, her master and lady treated her like family, and she luckily found an education at the household, taught to her by Nathaniel, the master's son. Over the years, her intelligence expanded and she began to write amazing poems by the age of 12, later becoming the first black poet to publish her own book. Even though her name became well known among the wealth, she was still treated differently which caused difficulties for her. Through this story, I have learned as a reader, the complications Phillis experiences and her triumph of becoming the first black poet.
There are truly many wonderfully written parts of this historical fiction book, but among my favorites are the times when Nathaniel and Phillis were together. This starting from the first time she walked through the house, to the moments when he first taught her to read. Being 10 years older than Phillis, Nathaniel acted as a close brother to her, unlike how masters normally interacted with their slaves. There were also times when Nathaniel and Phillis would tease each other, which would leave the reader thinking if Phillis really was a slave. Because of these significant moments, I found the book to be much more interesting.
As a piece of historical fiction, I was able to understand how some masters treated their slaves. For a fact, I know that most didn't treat their slaves with such care as the Wheatleys did to Phillis. So, it was especially interesting to know that Nathaniel had spent his free time teaching Phillis. I was not only able to learn about Phillis, a woman not frequently mentioned in texts, but I was also able to find out about her personality. Rinaldi brought her character to life, and I was truly touched and fascinated at the same time at some specific parts of the story.