laurie halse anderson books chains series

We need to cut off its head.” Who or what was the “beast”? ĩ. If it breaks free of its chains, we are all in danger. The mayor of New York tells Isabel’s owner: “The beast has grown too large. What are some of different types of “chains” it involves? What does Isabel mean when she says, “I was chained between two nations”? Ĩ. The title of this novel refers to more than one kind of chains.

Why do the different names matter? Do you think Anne Lockton just liked the sound of “Sal Lockton” better than “Isabel Finch”? If not, why might she have wanted to change the name?ħ. Isabel’s friend Curzon calls her “Country” (and has two names of his own). Anne Lockton changes her name to “Sal Lockton” (and calls her “Girl”). When the Locktons buy her, she is Isabel Finch. Why do you think the author put this scene in the book?Ħ. Elihu Lockton hits his wife, Anne, during an argument. Why might slaves like Isabel have felt humiliated by it?ĥ. Branding is both physically and emotionally painful. A judge orders that she be branded with the letter I for Insolence. After moving in with the Locktons, Isabel tries to run away. Elihu and Anne Lockton are “Loyalists.” Who or what are they loyal to? Who or what is Isabel loyal to? What role do clashing or divided loyalties play in the novel?Ĥ. Isabel and Ruth are sold to a married couple after their former owner refuses to honor a promise to free them. Did you know that slavery existed in places like New York City before you read Chains? Did Laurie Halse Anderson convince you that some New Yorkers really did have slaves? How did she do it?ģ. How are their lives similar to those of other slaves you’ve read about? How are they different from them?Ģ. The soldiers have more urgent concerns after the British invade New York, and without reliable allies on either side, Isabel forms a dangerous plan to win her freedom on her own.ġ. She hopes her spying will persuade the Patriots to free her and her 5-year-old sister, Ruth, also owned by the Locktons. Young Isabel Finch learns of a plot to kill George Washington as she serves wine and cheese on a silver platter to the Locktons’ Tory friends, and she later sneaks away to warn Continental Army soldiers of the danger to their commander. In Chains, Laurie Halse Anderson tells the story a fictional 13-year-old girl owned by a cruel Loyalist couple with a regal townhouse on Wall Street in 1776.

On the eve of the American Revolution, thousands of slaves lived in New York City.

10 Discussion Questions for Young Readers

Laurie halse anderson books chains series