Mary Sue Preissner (Children's Literature)
Readers will find this fictionalized account of the young African-American poetess, Phillis Wheatley, to be a slow read. While concerned with earning her freedom, it seems more of Phillis' thoughts are about her crush on her young master. While it can be said that there were slave owners who treated their slaves well, it appears to be a stretch to believe that life was as rosy as this portrayal. 1996, Harcourt Brace, $12.00 and $6.00. Ages 10 to 14.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, 1996)
The short and not very happy life of America's first black poet, brought to vibrant life by Rinaldi (The Blue Door, p. 1241, etc.). Keziah is kidnapped from her village in Senegal in 1761 and handed over to a notorious slave trader for transport to America. She is brought to Boston, where she is purchased by the Wheatley family, who rename her Phillis after the ship on which she arrived. Nathaniel, the son and potential heir to the substantial Wheatley estate, becomes intrigued by the slave's intellect, and teaches her to read and write, then tutoring her in the Latin and Greek classics. Phillis's gift for writing poetry impresses the Wheatleys and their guests at their frequent soirees, but no American publisher will print her work; she is sent to England, where she is published to great acclaim. She is grudgingly granted freedom upon her return to Boston, but it does not bring the happiness she expected: She is unprepared to be on her own. A disastrous marriage ends with the deaths of her children and her own death at 30, and she is buried in a pauper's grave. A powerful portrait of an innocent who, uprooted from her world, enters another where she is allowed to rise above the average slave's lot; Rinaldi makes clear to readers that Wheatley's good fortune is a double-edged sword that destroys her. A tragic tale, beautifully written and researched. 1996, Gulliver/Harcourt Brace, $12.00; paper $6.00. © 1996 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Barbara A. Zynda (KLIATT Review, January 1997 (Vol. 31, No. 1))
Rinaldi's story is another example of her wonderful historical novels. Phillis Wheatley was named after the ship that brought her as a slave from Senegal in 1761 and the wealthy family who bought her in Boston. She adores Nathaniel Wheatley, the son of the family, who teaches her reading, writing and Latin. When the family discovers her talent for writing and poetry, they encourage her. Eventually they get her work published in London, since America is not yet ready to recognize its first Negro woman poet. The book ends with the beginning of the American Revolution and Phillis' marriage to John Peters. The author adds notes about what happened to Phillis after that. Rinaldi describes both the attitudes and the events of the times. In spite of Wheatley's talent, the whites treat her like a curiosity and a pet. Her masters feel betrayed when she says she wants to be free, interpreting that as ingratitude for the comfortable life they provide. Although "good" people, they are prejudiced and patronizing, unable to understand the deep human desire to be free. What could be drier for middle school students than learning about the Stamp Act? However, reading about it as it affected the lives of real people makes it easier to understand and much more interesting. Rinaldi's message seems to be that history is what happens to people. KLIATT Codes: JS--Recommended for junior and senior high school students. 1996, Harcourt Brace/Gulliver, 336p. 18cm. 96-872, $6.00. Ages 13 to 18.

Mike Angelotti (The ALAN Review, Winter 1997 (Vol. 24, No. 2))
Here is a beautifully written story true to the historical facts of the life of Phillis Wheatly, America's first black poet. Yeet its credibility rests in its imaginative treatment of Phillis Wheatley the human being, of how a young African slave might have learned to read and write American English in pre-Revolutionary-War Boston. The novel is written as Phillis Wheatley might have written a memoir covering the period in her life from ages seven through approximately twenty-one; that is, from Keziah's abduction from a Senegal rice field by her vengeful uncle's warriors to her interview with General George Washington as "free nigra woman" Phillis Wheatley. Especially moving is her description of the "middle passage" between Senegal and Boston on the slave ship Phillis. Complementing a study of Phillis Wheatley's poetry might be her running commentary on the significance of writing and on her writing process. Her easy conversational style should make historical detail pleasantly consumable to young readers studying the period. In fact, Ann Rinaldi's fascinating "Author's Note" discusses the interplay of fact and fiction in the story. This book has strong interdisciplinary potential. It was much enjoyed and is highly recommended. 1996, Harcourt Brace, 352 pp., $6.00. Ages 12 up.

Horn Book (The Horn Book Guide, 1996)
This well-researched, fictionalized biography smoothly and effectively integrates substantial information about colonial times and what is known about the first published African-American poet. Although the author chooses a romanticized interpretation of Wheatley's life, she presents an intriguing and enjoyable portrait of an important woman in American history. An extensive author's note provides additional information. Bib. Category: Fiction. 1996, Harcourt, 338pp.. Ages 14 to 18. Rating: 3: Recommended, satisfactory in style, content, and/or illustration.