Great Escapes

Dodge Cummings Judy

Description

Sometimes, an intolerable situation calls for a drastic measure-fleeing for freedom. Whether you're a slave seeking freedom in the North or a convict swimming for your life in a shark-infested canal, the urge to be free drives your every move. In Great Escapes: Real Tales of Harrowing Getaways, readers ages 9 to 12 meet five ingenious fugitives and freedom seekers who all shared one common goal: escape. The human spirit craves freedom, and when liberty is taken away, people go to great lengths to get it back. Great Escapes: Real Tales of Harrowing Getaways tells the histories of five ingenious departures, including the one perpetuated by William and Ellen Craft, who donned disguises and made a 1,000-mile run for freedom. Another man, Douglas Mawson, battled a power greater than any human villain, when in 1913, Mother Nature trapped Mawson in her icy Antarctic jaws. Alone and dangling over a bottomless crevasse by a fraying rope, the only escape tools Mawson had were his strength and determination. In 1943, Nazi guards packed hundreds of Belgian Jews into train cars and headed for the concentration camp at Auschwitz. Twelve-year-old Simon Gronowski was among these deportees, and he was determined to find a way off the moving train before it reached its ghastly destination. Alcatraz was a rocky fortress designed to hold federal prisoners until the end of their sentence or death, whichever came first. Prison officials claimed the Rock was inescapable. But in 1962, three inmates vanished, never to be seen again. No less amazing is the escape of 57 East Germans from communist-controlled East Germany during the Cold War, through a tunnel under the Berlin Wall. History is ripe with examples of people desperate to escape the traps in which they are snared. Get an up-close look at the guts, skill, determination, and luck of remarkable escape artists in Great Escapes: Real Stories of Harrowing Getaways. This is the sixth book in a series called Mystery & Mayhem, which features true tales that whet kids' appetites for history by engaging them in genres with proven track records-mystery and adventure. History is made of near misses, unexplained disappearances, unsolved mysteries, and bizarre events that are almost too weird to be true-almost! The Mystery and Mayhem series delves into these tidbits of history to provide kids with a jumping off point into a lifelong habit of appreciating history. Each of the five true tales told within Great Escapes are paired with further fun facts about the setting, industry, and time period. A glossary and resources page provide the opportunity to practice using essential academic tools. These nonfiction narratives use clear, concise language with compelling plots that both avid and reluctant readers will be drawn to.

Sujets

• Children's
• Histoire

Informations

• Publié par: Nomad Press
• Date de parution: 15 août 2017
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781619306134
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 124 Mo

Extrait

GREAT ESCAPES

Real Tales of Harrowing Getaways J UDY D ODGE C UMMINGS

GREAT ESCAPES

Real Tales of Harrowing Getaways J UDY D ODGE C UMMINGS

Nomad Press A division of Nomad Communications 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Copyright © 2017 by Nomad Press. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review orfor limited educational use. The trademark “Nomad Press” and the Nomad Press logo are trademarks of Nomad Communications, Inc.

ISBN Softcover: 9781619306165 ISBN Hardcover: 9781619306127

Educational Consultant, Marla Conn

Questions regarding the ordering of this book should be addressed to Nomad Press 2456 Christian St. White River Junction, VT 05001 www.nomadpress.net

Conte

nts

Introduction . . . 1 Run for Your Life

Chapter One . . . 5 A Thousand Miles Facing lifelong separation, William and Ellen Craft fled north in disguise, risking detection at every turn, all for the sake of freedom from slavery.

Chapter Two . . . 29 The Jaws of Terra Incognita Douglas Mawson battled a power greater than any human villain when Mother Nature trapped him in her icy Antarctic jaws with only his strength and determination to save him.

Chapter Three . . . 53 Death Train In 1943, Nazi guards packed hundreds of Belgian Jews into train cars headed for Auschwitz. Simon Gronowski, 11 years old, was determined to escape.

Chapter Four . . . 77 Breaking the Rock Three inmates vanished from the prison of Alcatraz in 1962, never to be seen again. How did they escape? Where are they now?

Chapter Five . . . 99 Tunnel 29 During the Cold War, 29 Germans from communistcontrolled East Germany, where freedom was a dream, escaped through a tunnel under the Berlin Wall.

Glossary  Resources

Titles in the Mystery & MayhemSeries

Check out more titles at www.nomadpress.net

Introduction Run for Your Life

The door to freedom slams shut and the lock snaps into place. Darkness surrounds you. First, the gloom clouds your vision, then it seeps into your soul. Your heartbeat quickens. Suddenly, you cannot seem to draw enough air into your lungs. You are trapped. Will this prison become your tomb?

But hope is not lost. The glimmer of an escape plan forms in your brain. It will be dangerous, even foolhardy. You have to muster every last ounce of courage and strength. Do you have what it takes to run for your life?

The human spirit craves freedom. When liberty is lost, people go to great lengths to get it back.

In this book, you will read about five ingenious escapes. You’ll meet people willing to do whatever it takes to flee their surroundings.

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Rebels and Revolutions

Prisons take many forms. For example, slavery once doomed African American slaves to the lifelong prison of their masters’ whims. But in 1848, William and Ellen Craft made a bold dash for freedom. Donning clever disguises, the married couple escaped in broad daylight and fled 1,000 miles.

In another time and place, Douglas Mawson battled a power greater than any human villain. In 1913, Mother Nature trapped him in her icy Antarctic jaws. Alone and dangling by a fraying rope over a bottomless crevasse, all Douglas had to help him escape were his strength and his will to live.

In 1943, Nazi guards packed Belgian Jews into trains headed for Auschwitz, a concentration camp where millions of people were killed. The train cars were so crowded, people had to take turns sitting down. A hunk of moldy bread and a mouthful of water was their only sustenance.

As bad as the train was, 11yearold Simon Gronowski knew what awaited him at Auschwitz would be worse. He was determined to find a way off the train as it hurtled ever closer to its ghastly destination. How would you escape?

Alcatraz was a rocky prison fortress designed to hold inmates until the end of their sentence or death, whichever came first. Prison officials bragged that it was impossible to escape. But in 1962, three inmates vanished, never to be seen again.

Run for Your Life

A wall divided the German city of Berlin down the middle for 28 years. This concrete barrier separated families and was closely guarded by communist East German police. East German citizens were not allowed to flee to democratic West Germany. But during two days in 1964, 29 East Germans crawled under the wall in a desperate race for freedom.

These people all faced different kinds of prisons, but they shared common traits. They had guts, grit, skill, and a lot of luck. Keep reading and you may find your pulse quickening as if you, too, were running for your life.

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4. 1849 The Crafts arrive in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and begin their lives as free people.

W E S T V I R G I N I A

D E L A W A R E

P E N N S Y L V A N I A

G E O R G I A

1

V I R G I N I A

S O U T H C A R O L I N A

N E W J E R S E Y

P h ila d e lp h ia

M A R Y L A N D

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N O R T H C A R O L I N A W ilm in g t o n

ATLANTIC OCEAN

YOU ARE HERE

3. December 24 They reach Baltimore, Maryland, by train.

B a ltim o re 3

M a c o n

1. December 1848 William and Ellen Craft leave Macon, Georgia.

2. December They reach Charleston, South Carolina, by steamer.

T E N N E S S E E

S a v a n n a h

O H I O

C h a rle s t o n 2

K E N T U C K Y

1619

The first slaves are brought to the colonies in America

1848

The Crafts flee the South

1861

1865

The Civil Slavery is War begins abolished

Chapter One A Thousand Miles

For more than 200 years, slavery was legal in the United States. Punishments for trying to escape were severe. Runaways who were caught were whipped, maimed, or sold.

However, slavery was so awful that tens of thousands of enslaved people took their chances and ran. Most slaves fled in the middle of the night. They hid out in swamps and forests and were chased by bloodhounds. These flights for freedom usually ended in failure.

The story of William and Ellen Craft is different. This couple escaped from slavery in broad daylight and in firstclass comfort.

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