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The Freedom Finders
Break Your Chains
To find freedom, you must leave behind everything you've ever known.
It is 1825.
You and Ma have survived on the streets of London ever since the soldiers took Da away and you fled Ireland. Now, with Ma gone too, you find yourself facing life-and-death choices at every turn.
Can you carry a secret treasure across the ocean and finally be reunited with Da? You'll be asked to betray your friends, survive storms at sea and attacks by bushrangers, and trust thieves.
At every turn, the choice is yours.
How far will you go for freedom?
It is 1825.
You and Ma have survived on the streets of London ever since the soldiers took Da away and you fled Ireland. Now, with Ma gone too, you find yourself facing life-and-death choices at every turn.
Can you carry a secret treasure across the ocean and finally be reunited with Da? You'll be asked to betray your friends, survive storms at sea and attacks by bushrangers, and trust thieves.
At every turn, the choice is yours.
How far will you go for freedom?
279 pages, Paperback
First published March 28, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
July 18, 2018
A story of an Irish convict girl, fighting to find her father as soon as she gets to Van Dieman's Land. With chances to change your story, the incorrect choice almost always ends in death. Proving how deadly situations were in the 1800's and showing the racism in the world towards darker skinned people.
In the preface, Emily Conolan reveals she considered not having any racism in the novel but found that it was an insult to history to not include it. While she acknowledges its existence she is very clear that is not acceptable, and you see this in her writing, the choices you are given as the girl.
I enjoyed this book not only because of the Australian history of convicts but the innocence of the girl you play.
A sweet, but overall a 'choose your own' survival story.
In the preface, Emily Conolan reveals she considered not having any racism in the novel but found that it was an insult to history to not include it. While she acknowledges its existence she is very clear that is not acceptable, and you see this in her writing, the choices you are given as the girl.
I enjoyed this book not only because of the Australian history of convicts but the innocence of the girl you play.
A sweet, but overall a 'choose your own' survival story.
April 27, 2018
It is 1825. You are a young Irish girl who has lost her Ma to small pox and your father to English gaol. He was an Irish rebel and you fear you will never see him again. But now living on the harsh streets of London, you face life and death decisions every day.
You are given a secret treasure for helping a wealthy lady, but have to try and avoid gaol yourself. You make a dear friend but have to choose whether to leave her behind or escape.
But then there is months of travel on a thunderous ocean. Will you survive or die in the bowels of a ship with hundreds of others?
This is a Choose Your Own Destiny book like none other I've read. The 1st book of four in a new series, you live the life of a poor Irish girl in the early 19th Century, making decisions that will impact not only your life but others you meet on your journey. It reads just like a novel, but with choices to make that lead you further.
If you wish you can read more about the time in the Fact Files at the end of the book. eg. Smallpox, Prisons, Pickpockets, Child Labour and Tasmanian Aboriginals, before you make your decision. I perished a few times before I reached the end. Look out for other titles in this series. Loved it!
You are given a secret treasure for helping a wealthy lady, but have to try and avoid gaol yourself. You make a dear friend but have to choose whether to leave her behind or escape.
But then there is months of travel on a thunderous ocean. Will you survive or die in the bowels of a ship with hundreds of others?
This is a Choose Your Own Destiny book like none other I've read. The 1st book of four in a new series, you live the life of a poor Irish girl in the early 19th Century, making decisions that will impact not only your life but others you meet on your journey. It reads just like a novel, but with choices to make that lead you further.
If you wish you can read more about the time in the Fact Files at the end of the book. eg. Smallpox, Prisons, Pickpockets, Child Labour and Tasmanian Aboriginals, before you make your decision. I perished a few times before I reached the end. Look out for other titles in this series. Loved it!
December 8, 2018
It is 1825. You are a young Irish girl who has lost her Ma to small pox and your father to English gaol. He was an Irish rebel and you fear you will never see him again. But now living on the harsh streets of London, you face life and death decisions every day.
You are given a secret treasure for helping a wealthy lady, but have to try and avoid gaol yourself. You make a dear friend but have to choose whether to leave her behind or escape.
But then there is months of travel on a thunderous ocean. Will you survive or die in the bowels of a ship with hundreds of others?
This is a Choose Your Own Destiny book like none other I’ve read. The 1st book of four in a new series, you live the life of a poor Irish girl in the early 19th Century, making decisions that will impact not only your life but others you meet on your journey. It reads just like a novel, but with choices to make that lead you further.
If you wish you can read more about the time in the Fact Files at the end of the book. eg. Smallpox, Prisons, Pickpockets, Child Labour and Tasmanian Aboriginals, before you make your decision. I perished a few times before I reached the end. Look out for other titles in this series. Loved it!
Age - 9+
You are given a secret treasure for helping a wealthy lady, but have to try and avoid gaol yourself. You make a dear friend but have to choose whether to leave her behind or escape.
But then there is months of travel on a thunderous ocean. Will you survive or die in the bowels of a ship with hundreds of others?
This is a Choose Your Own Destiny book like none other I’ve read. The 1st book of four in a new series, you live the life of a poor Irish girl in the early 19th Century, making decisions that will impact not only your life but others you meet on your journey. It reads just like a novel, but with choices to make that lead you further.
If you wish you can read more about the time in the Fact Files at the end of the book. eg. Smallpox, Prisons, Pickpockets, Child Labour and Tasmanian Aboriginals, before you make your decision. I perished a few times before I reached the end. Look out for other titles in this series. Loved it!
Age - 9+
December 31, 2025
I'm glad I read this book for the last book of 2025- the year AI was born.
It is easy to generate stories, it is easy to watch movies and consume content mindlessly.
I've always been confused on why books have a superior essence that is impossible to replicate in other forms.
But this book taught me it- books, and things written by people, even if they are stories are always "True". They are made of human sufferings and pain, and struggles. So visual media may be able to express what the world looks like, humans are emotional creatures and words will express what the world FEELS like- how it feels to be a young girl, deprived of choices, how it feels to be trapped and pathetic, how it feels to be a prisoner, how it must have been, to struggle in the 1800s, how far humanity has come in the experience of suffering.
I'm surprised this was a children's book because it is so, so, sad.
But the story of this book has happened, and continues to happen for many people in the word, and that is why it is important to read.
It is easy to generate stories, it is easy to watch movies and consume content mindlessly.
I've always been confused on why books have a superior essence that is impossible to replicate in other forms.
But this book taught me it- books, and things written by people, even if they are stories are always "True". They are made of human sufferings and pain, and struggles. So visual media may be able to express what the world looks like, humans are emotional creatures and words will express what the world FEELS like- how it feels to be a young girl, deprived of choices, how it feels to be trapped and pathetic, how it feels to be a prisoner, how it must have been, to struggle in the 1800s, how far humanity has come in the experience of suffering.
I'm surprised this was a children's book because it is so, so, sad.
But the story of this book has happened, and continues to happen for many people in the word, and that is why it is important to read.
September 28, 2018
Choose your own adventure concept works well to show that life in 1825 wasn't one straight forward narrative and to warn us that being a convict in Van Diemen's Land wasn't a one-size fits all tale. Useful historical notes at the back to give context to the times. Some of the reader's choices lead to a definite (and fatal) end but others offer more than one decision/consequence.
March 7, 2022
For the genre (CYOA), Break Your Chains is a well-deserved 4 stars. An involving, historically well-informed adventure, about a convict Irish girl who winds up in Tasmania — full of fitting life or death choices. I haven't read a CYOA in years and very much enjoyed this one. But warning — bad language and graphic, gruesome death scenes make this book more suitable to 13+.
December 13, 2020
I was confused
January 2, 2022
A choose your own adventure which I was actually ok at. They are so much fun and this one is one of my favourites. definitely recommend.
February 18, 2022
Read it to my 3/4 class and they really enjoyed it
September 20, 2025
Trigger warnings: Death of a child, death of a friend, death of a mother, physical injuries, blood depiction, gun violence, death in the ocean and harbour
Score: Six points out of ten.
The premise seemed intriguing but sadly I didn't enjoy this one and I highly doubt the target audience would read this one due to the content inside. The story revolves around a young girl who doesn't have a name yet but I'll call her Alana, who lost her mother to some disease and then she tries to find her father known as Patrick Sean Ryan and that lead her to a long and quite dangerous journey to travel from Ireland to Hobart, Tasmania, Australia which was thousands of kilometres away. The execution however is a bit of a mixed bag since it's told in 2nd person POV and I wondered why wasn't it told in 1st or 3rd person POV which would have made a lot more sense to me. The writing style got the job done of immersing me enough into the story but there could've been more details described about the characters or the worldbuilding and most of them were forgettable due to them not having any characteristics. Alana died in many horrific ways such as falling to her death, getting shot, getting hit by a pan, dying of a fever or exhaustion and worst of all dying in the ocean or the harbour because she couldn't swim for whatever reason which was the main reason why I didn't enjoy this book but at the very least there were two good endings where she found her father or had a family. Read Refugee by Alan Gratz for a better historical book about immigration.
Score: Six points out of ten.
The premise seemed intriguing but sadly I didn't enjoy this one and I highly doubt the target audience would read this one due to the content inside. The story revolves around a young girl who doesn't have a name yet but I'll call her Alana, who lost her mother to some disease and then she tries to find her father known as Patrick Sean Ryan and that lead her to a long and quite dangerous journey to travel from Ireland to Hobart, Tasmania, Australia which was thousands of kilometres away. The execution however is a bit of a mixed bag since it's told in 2nd person POV and I wondered why wasn't it told in 1st or 3rd person POV which would have made a lot more sense to me. The writing style got the job done of immersing me enough into the story but there could've been more details described about the characters or the worldbuilding and most of them were forgettable due to them not having any characteristics. Alana died in many horrific ways such as falling to her death, getting shot, getting hit by a pan, dying of a fever or exhaustion and worst of all dying in the ocean or the harbour because she couldn't swim for whatever reason which was the main reason why I didn't enjoy this book but at the very least there were two good endings where she found her father or had a family. Read Refugee by Alan Gratz for a better historical book about immigration.
August 6, 2018
I've always loved choose your own adventure stories so I was excited to give this one a try. Set during the early years of European colonisation (invasion) in Australia it touches on the history of Great Britain and Australia at the time. The author is very open about attitudes expressed by certain characters in the story and doesn't shy around talking about racism. As an adult I did find that the choice that would progress the story became really easy to predict. 3/5.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews