However, Mary's nephew, Robert Finch, sells Isabel and Ruth to a Loyalist couple: Master and Madam Lockton of New York City. What are some examples of symbolism used by the author in the novel and how does the symbolism help you to better understand the characters and their motivation?Īt the opening of the story, Isabel believed she and her sister would gain their freedom upon the death of their enslaver, Mary Finch, as outlined in her will.What are some of the allusions (references to factual people, places, and events) present in the novel Chains?.What are some of the literary themes present in the novel Chains?.What were the lives of enslaved people like in the American colonies in the 1700s?.How did the Patriots’ struggle for freedom from Great Britain during the Revolutionary War mirror Isabel’s struggle for freedom from slavery? How were they different?.What are fundamental rights of all human beings?.She has four children.Essential Questions for Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson

In 2010, the American Association of School Librarians chose Anderson as their School Library Month spokesperson.Īnderson currently resides in northern New York with her husband, Scot. She also received the ALAN Award from the Assembly on Literature for Adolescents in 2008, recognizing her outstanding achievements in the field of adolescent literature. Edwards Award for Catalyst, Fever 1793, and Speak. In 2009, the Young Adult Library Services Association presented Anderson with the Margaret A. In addition to contemporary fiction, Anderson has published several historical fiction novels, Fever 1793 (2000), Chains (2008), and Forge (2010). Anderson's other young adult works include Prom (2005), Twisted (2007), and Wintergirls (2009). Three years later, she published Catalyst, her second young adult novel. The novel was added to school curricula across the country and a film version was released in 2004, starring Kristen Stewart as Melinda. It was a National Book Award finalist, a New York Times bestseller, and a Printz Honor Book. In 1999, Anderson published Speak, her most famous work. Anderson is best known, however, for her young adult novels. Many of her picture books are intended to teach children American history. Upon graduation, Anderson transferred to Georgetown University where she earned a Bachelor's degree in 1984.Īnderson began her career as a freelance reporter, but she soon moved to writing children's picture books. Anderson earned her associate's degree after completing two years at Onondaga Community College, where she worked on a dairy farm. This experience encouraged her to attend college when she returned to the United States.

During her senior year of high school, Anderson left home and spent thirteen months as an exchange student living on a pig farm in Denmark. Laurie Halse Anderson was born in Potsdam, New York in 1961.

Chains by laurie halse anderson