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Summary: The Slave Dancer
Review: This book is about a young boy named Jesse, who is kidnapped in New Orleans and is taken on a slave ship named The Moonlight. He is taken across the second largest ocean in the world, the Atlantic. He is told to play his small fife to the slaves, so that they will dance and remain healthy. Hence the title of the book, The Slave Dancer. In this book I really tried to look for some sort of message that the author is trying to send. The message that I learned was that people may be able to change from different life experiences. Jesse, a boy from the deep south, who was not slave owning, but did not respect African Americans, continued his disregard for them during much of his voyage. It was not until the end when he met a young African American boy named Ras that he began to respect African Americans. That makes this the ideal book for those people, me included, who love character development. I think that the author did a very good job researching this book, and revealing the grim truth about slaveships. For example, the sailors had to carry pistols because the slaves would try to swim to the shores. They also used to throw their "cargo" overboard if they had the flu just so they wouldn't get the other "cargo" infected. I read what other people liked about the book and they said "You can't but this book down until you're finished." This person rated it a ten. I think that this book is very good but not a ten. because the detail was too much and there was not any great action towards the middle. I think that this book is intended for children 10-17. I think it could also be greatly enjoyed by adults. But young readers should not read this one because the details are very graphic. I think this book can be especially enjoyed by those of the African American Community. Also those who enjoyed such movies and books as Amistad, Glory, and Buffalo Solider will be sure to enjoy this novel. This book does not take very long to read but does have a very difficult vocabulary. This book may have to be read to children under the age of twelve. In this story you will learn about how Jesse and the other sailors must deal with the struggles to meet the high demands of the master, Captain Cawthorne, and his mates. They had to stay up late, to attend to the ships many great needs. They also were not given enough to eat because the captain wanted no unnecessary use of money. In conclusion, this book is very good and should eventually be read by everyone. This book is for all types of readers. It has adventure from when Jesse gets kidnapped by two sailors, to when Jesse and Ras daringly escape into the shark infested waters of the Gulf of Mexico, as the ship begins to sink. It has drama like when Jesse had to say good-bye to his African friend, Ras. This book, in my opinion on a scale of one to ten is a 8. So from this review I hope everyone can make a decision if they think they would like this book as much as I. I bet they will.
Rating: 
Summary: I think it was good
Review: I don't care what anybody says, but I think it was a good story. It was sad how Jessie was kidnapped from his poor home in New Orleans. He was taken in a BURLAP BAG to The Moonlight, the name of the salve ship.
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Summary: I THOUGHT THIS BOOK WAS TERRIBLE AND BORING!!!!
Review: THIS IS A STORY ABOUT A BOY THAT WAS KIDDNAPED AND WAS ON A SLAVE BOAT FOR 4 MONTHES AND CAME BACK HOME VERY HAPPY. IT WAS REALLY BORING AND I DIDN'T ENJOY IT MUCH AT ALL.
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Summary: "The Slave Dancer" is not to be put down until finished!
Review: Paula Fox makes history read like the present in "The Slave Dancer." I could not put the book down until I knew that the poor little white boy and the unjustly enslaved black boy were, at long last safe. "The Slave Dancer" is not a political book, it is rather, a chapter in the book of life of one young Southern adolescent who was abducted while running an errand for his widowed mother. The only reason for his kidnapping? He could play a flute. The captain of the slave ship needed his slaves to be healthy in order to earn a huge price in the market. Although neither could speak the other's language, two young boys from different countries rescued each other from lives of certain horror. This book is wonderful reading for young people and adults alike. I was moved by the realism and the sense of "here and now" of the story
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Summary: Jessie's Cruise
Review: I think that the book The Slave Dancer is a great book. Paula Fox takes you into the life of a young boy who is kidnapped and put on a ship headed for Africa to trade slaves. Fox does a great job with the use of imagery and detail in this book.
One day Jessie's mother sends him to get some candles, and on the way home he is bound and taken by two men. Jessie is put on a ship, forced to live there, and play his fife for the slaves. Throughout the book Jessie starts to feel compassion for the slaves, because he witnesses their poor treatment Jessie becomes friends with one of the slave boys he meets on the ship. On his journey Jessie learns a lot about himself and the slaves from Africa.
This Newbery Medal book gives you a glimpse of life during the times of slave trade. This book is a great choice for young readers.
Rating:
Summary: Easy reading for those who might best benefit from it
Review: A mid-70's Newbery winner, and a gem. With Out of the Dust, and Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry, the very finest Newbery has to offer in historical fiction. The reading level may be late elementary or early middle school, but the content calls for later middle school or high school. The details of abducting and carrying slaves, their treatment at the hands of their transporters, the crude and often cruel behavior of the ship's crew, and the horrors of shipboard life make the themes tough for sensitive younger readers. It will provide a young reader with a thoroughly unsettling look at an unseemly part of American history. The main character, the white boy kidnapped from the streets of New Orleans in 1840 to play his fife to encourage the slaves to dance, is a good, clear, child's view of things, properly aghast and open-minded, the pleasant part of the story and its first person teller. What Slave Dancer gives is brilliant in its clarity and horror. I recommend it highly with the caveats above.
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Summary: The Slave Dancer
Review: The Slave Dancer, by Paula Fox, is an extraordinarily good book. One day, a boy named Jessie is snatched from a street and taken aboard a slave ship. There, he???s forced to play his fife (or flute) for the slaves so they can dance and stay in shape. While on board The Moonlight, Jessie sees the cruelty shown towards the slaves. On this voyage, his perception changes about many things; slaves, Purvis (a member of the crew), and himself. With a great conclusion that tops off this masterpiece, you will feel satisfied and not disappointed or let down.
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