The Education of Mary: A Little Miss of Color, 1832

Grade 6-8-In 1832, Prudence Crandall, a Quaker educator in Connecticut, closed her Canterbury Female Seminary and reopened it as a school for young black women. This novel revolves around the formation of that school and the storm of controversy it created in town. Many historical forces come into play here: the abolitionist movement, endemic prejudice against free blacks, and the brutality of the early factory system. However, the major focus is a behind-the-scenes look at the girls in the school, as related by 13-year-old Mary Harris. She believes that her sister Sarah and her friends, also students there, act out of some romantic notion of becoming martyrs for the causes of freedom and justice. As the white townsmen try everything to close down the institution, Mary becomes quietly and courageously involved in helping with the local Underground Railroad movement. Mary, Sarah, and a few of the other girls are interesting, fairly well-developed characters. Prudence Crandall is less well understood. Was she a courageous advocate of equality or a pawn in the hands of abolitionists who used her to their advantage? Was she a strong, independent woman or was she dependent on the support of her family, especially her father? It's never made clear. In the end, she marries an opportunistic man with questionable motives and appears to have traded her dreams in order to have a husband. While there are numerous exciting moments in the story, overall the plot moves slowly. This novel will have the most appeal for Rinaldi's dedicated fans. Bruce Anne Shook, Mendenhall Middle School, Greensboro, NC