Letters from Minty: An Imaginative Look into the Life and Thoughts of a Young Harriet Tubman

by Hannah Cotterell, Anilah Helenese, Michaela Henry

Written and illustrated by Fourth and Fifth Grade Students of Gateway Christian Academy in Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Originally named Araminta, Harriet Tubman wasn’t always the leader of the Underground Railroad. This book offers an imaginative look into the life and thoughts of Minty, from ages seven to fifteen. Her early dreams to be as free as a bird come through every letter and every gorgeously illustrated page.

Winner of the 2016 Scholastic Kids Are Authors Award

Genres: Childrens, Picture Books

32 pages, Paperback

Published June 1, 2016

Reviews

[Pamela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written by 4th and 5th grade students of a Florida school, this book is an imaginative description of the life of young Harriet Tubman from the ages of 7 to 15. It is told in the form of letters from "Minty," which is Harriet Tubman's nickname since her original name was Araminta ("Minty") Ross. The letters are cleverly written and illustrated by this young group of students. They depict her young slave life from a daily point of view of working on a plantation, being whipped, having to take care of someone's baby, etc. Scholastic publishing company had a "Kids are Authors" competition from the years 1986 to 2016 to encourage students to read and write. The books that got to be published were then sold at Scholastic Book Fairs, which is where I had bought this book and finally read it today. This book was published in 2016, the last year that this competition took place. The book can be used to encourage students to write similar stories for a classroom project and do so from the point of view of a famous person.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Letters from Minty
Summary
This is an epistolary text about a Harriet Tubman. It is written by fifth grade students who took the perspective of Harriet during different times in Harriet's childhood.

Evaluation
I love how this book is written by students. You can still see some student mistakes in the writing, like a lower case I, but it just gives this book charm.

Teaching Idea
I would use this text in a mini lesson about point of view and perspective. I would have the students practice writing stories from different characters point of view.

[LisaJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was written and illustrated by 4th and 5th graders from Fort Lauderdale, FL and received the "Kid's Are Authors Award". The story consists of letters written by Harriet Tubman to a "friend" between the ages of seven to fifteen. The innocent childlike letters portray the horrible conditions young Harriet had to endure as a child slave. The letters consist of realistic portrayals of her life along with a hint of positivity.

[Jody Kyburz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was written by fourth and fifth grade students in Florida and is about the young Harriet Tubman. This would build great background information, but more importantly, it shows what can come from a collaborative effort in writing and illustration (one historic photo of Harriet is included), which would require some research and use of the whole writing process. Good stuff!

[Stacy Stoker · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the pictures and the letter format if this book. It was an interesting way to learn a little about the early life if Harriet Tubman.

[Bree · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a emotional book about slavery written in the words of children. It's a perfect way to make a massive and very adult topic into a more simple one. Yes this is a very watered down story of her life but, like I said this is for young kids not for adults. Any book telling real stories are important for your kids to be surrounded by at home, because they won't get a lot of these stories at school. I hope everyone goes out and buys this book. It's important, it's emotional, and it's true. Let's not forget the real stories. Let's hear them, learn from them, and pay them the respect they deserve.

[Alaina Kaupa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Letters from Minty is a creative collection of letters and pictures created by fifth grade students from the point-of-view of young Harriet Tubman. The letters span over and eight year period of Harriet's life, ages seven to fifteen, and her thoughts and dreams of escaping slavery. This book is great for elementary students to learn about Harriet Tubman in a way they may have not before; at their age level. The genre of this book is informational/nonfiction and the appropriate grade level is kindergarten and up, I would read this out loud to my third grade students.

[Hapzydeco · Rating 4 out of 5]

This 2016 Grand Prize Winner of the Kids Are Authors Contest was written and illustrated by fourth and fifth grade students from Gateway Christian Academy, Fort Lauderdale, FL. Covering Harriet Tubman’s life from ages seven to fifteen when she was known as Minty, this work of fiction provides a touching human perspective on one of America’s most courageous woman. This beautifully illustrated volume would be a treasured addition to any child’s library.

[Chena Bean]

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