I really enjoy this story of bravery and a willingness to take risks to give yourself the life you deserve. I especially appreciate that this is a story of a slave of George Washington. It is important for children to learn that even people that were revered in their time also chose to have slaves. This story is a way to talk to children about the idea that “it was just what was done then” is not an excuse for behavior that you know is wrong.

Hooks told this story simply but richly. It will be an exellent entry point for conversations.

The art style of this is not my favorite, but there is something about the simplicity of it that fits perfectly with the text.

Thank to NetGalley and Capstone Publishing for allowing an advanced read of this book.

The information in this book was sad to read.
The president of the United States owning slaves is a difficult pill to swallow and a moment in history that we cannot be proud of. But, sharing this information will help keep us from making the same mistakes.

Thank you NetGalley and Capstone for the advanced digital copy of "Ona Judge Outwits the Washingtons" in exchange for my honest opinion.

Author Gwendolyn Hook's brings us a piece of history that many are not aware of. We often hear about historical accounts of slavery and even of runaways, but what made this stand out was that Ona was in such a difficult location to achieve what she did.
Though the historical aspect of this book was great I was still left wanting more information. I also felt as though it became a bit redundant in areas. This book would, in my opinion, be suited better in a younger age group category.
Overall, this book will be a wonderful addition to the enhancement of historical knowledge.

This short nonfiction reading gives students a fair picture of what life was like for enslaved people in the early years of the United States. It would be a great addition to a unit on the American Revolution or the early United States. The fact that Ona was owned by George Washington will start many enlightening conversations! I also like that this story takes place in the late 1700s, more than 60 years before the Civil War. I think it will add perspective for my students. #OnaJudgeOutwitsTheWashingtons #NetGalley

The story of Ona Judge is a reminder of how strong enslaved people were and of the determination many had to be free from the hardships of slavery. Her story also highlights the often glossed over fact that many of America's founding fathers and presidents enslaved human beings.

The story begins as Ona is a small child working outdoors, longing to be near her mother who worked indoors. From there, her story takes twists and turns that creates Ona's willingness to risk everything to free herself from the bondage of the Washingtons. Through Ona's journey, readers get a peek into the constant fear enslaved people endured at the thought of being caught, punished, and dragged back into slavery. Gwendolyn Hooks gets real about the institution of slavery touching on family separations and of the devaluing of enslaved persons as dictated by the Constitution. These are important to share so that slavery is understood as the atrocity it was.

One caveat is the illustrations. The colors chosen for the illustrations are captivating and brings life to the pages. However, I'm not sure if there is a purpose behind the style of illustrations chosen to accompany the story. The illustrations were a bit distracting as many of the characters looked different and disproportionately drawn throughout the book. A note of explanation about the illustration style chosen would have been helpful. Despite that one caveat, Ona's story is an important one and I'm happy it's being told.

Ona Judge Outwits the Washingtons: An Enslaved Woman Fights for Freedom, written by Gwendolyn Hooks and illustrated by Simone Agoussoye, tells the story of a young enslaved woman who succeeded in escaping slavery, even though she was fleeing from the first president of the United States of America, George Washington.

Hooks is unflinching in her depiction of slavery, and weaves Ona’s personal story into the larger national story of enslaved blacks in America. Hooks explains that enslaved blacks had to work for no pay in conditions that provided no autonomy or dignity. She also notes that many children were sold away from siblings and parents.

Hooks explores the distinctions between working in the house and in the field through young Ona who hoped to work in the house, like her seamstress mother. At ten-years-old Ona does move into the house, and she begins working with her mother as a seamstress. Ironically, the sewing skills Ona learned from her mother, skills that made her life as an enslaved woman a little easier, also made her particularly valuable to the Washingtons.

Hooks contrasts the radical difference between the newly experienced freedom of white Americans beginning their democratic experiment, and the conditions of enslaved blacks, who were considered property, not citizens.

When George Washington was elected president and set out for then capital, New York City, he brought seven enslaved blacks, including Ona and her brother, Austin. The more centrally located Philadelphia was soon chosen as the new capital of the US. In Philadelphia, Ona met free blacks, and the free black women she saw “proved freedom was possible.”

While Ona was beginning to imagine freedom, George Washington’s wife, Martha, received news that her granddaughter would marry. Martha planned to give Ona as a wedding gift. Horrified, Ona began to plan her escape. With the help of Philadelphia’s free black community, she made it to New Hampshire.

Although Ona continued to work hard, she worked for a wage and was free to make her own decisions. However, the Washington’s continued to look for Ona.

Ona soon met a free black man, Jack Staines, who worked on a ship and traveled often. Jack and Ona fell in love, were married, and had a child.

Even as years passed, Ona remained legally enslaved and was considered property of the Washingtons who continued to attempt to trick her into going back to Philadelphia.

Gwendolyn Hooks narrates Ona Judge’s story matter-of-factly, while purposefully using language to foreground the full humanity of enslaved blacks. The story is an accessible corrective to whitewashed versions of US history. Simone Agoussoye’s illustrations are warm and evocative. Her thoughtful use of color adds emotional depth to the picture book.

This beautiful book is a must-have for personal and school libraries. It can be used during lessons on history, biography, or civics. You will need to wait for this one, according to NetGalley, where I accessed an E-ARC, it will be published August 2019, just in time to make its way into classrooms this coming fall.

The story tells the life of Ona Judge, a slave who was owned by President Washington and his wife. I'm not sure the word "outwits" is accurate. Maybe "escapes the Washingtons" would be a better description. I would have liked to know more about her life following her move to Greenland. The story seems to jump past a big portion of her life. This is a well done picture book that makes it easier for children to understand a difficult topic. It would make a great addition to any classroom during Black History Month.

Interesting graphic novel about an enslaved woman, owned by the Washingtons. She manages to escape but they go to great lengths to try and get her back.

Ona. an African (African-American) Slave woman who makes a flight for freedom, she would risk everything to achieve complete freedom. Born into slavery at Mount Vernon, Ona seized the opportunity to escape.
How could the Washingtons think that her condition as a slave was ok by her? It was not, and find out how, and why!

Ona Judge Outwits the Washingtons is fascinating story told by Gwendolyn Hooks and illustrated by Simone Agoussoye. The story follows the life of Ona Judge, one of George and Martha Washington’s slaves, who managed to escape her life of slavery and risked her life to find freedom.

This insightful book brought to light a story few have heard before. Gwendolyn Hooks writes the story in a manner for the age group it is intended for (ages 9-10). It is just short enough to keep the reader engaged and full of information that should be easy enough for a middle grade reader to comprehend.

My only issue with this book was the illustrations. The cover of the book has a beautiful illustration of Ona Judge. I was extremely disappointed to see that the illustrations inside the book were completely different. Inside the book, the illustrations looked flat and lacked the same kind of depth as the cover. Being a non-fiction picture book for middle grades, I believe that the illustrations should help tell the story and in this case, it was only a distraction for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Capstone for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I had never heard of the story of Ona Judge before. This story can be read by children or adults and it summarises very clearly the events. There is a recurring focus that the Washington’s and their friends only wanted her to return because they considered having a runaway slave as a dig to their pride.

Great book about Ona Judge! It is age appropriate and introduces this brave woman to children. Gwendolyn Hooks does a great job telling the younger crowd this amazing story.

The story of Ona Judge was amazing! Her fire and spirt unwillingness to be brought back into slavery was inspiring, I really loved the juxtaposition of what Washington was doing for white people in the young American country with the treatment of the people he kept enslaved. I appreciate how the author did not kowtow to the Washington legacy, instead calling out his slaveownership. I think too often children’s lit doesn’t want to address the darker side of our history and heroes, but it is so important. The one downside to this book for me was the illustrations. They were a bit rudimentary and inconsistent. A more professional illustration style would support the text more, and make it a great addition to any classroom library.

Powerful ~ HIstoric ~ Painful
tl;dr: An enslaved person owned by the Washington's escapes.

I am unsure about how to rate this book. The story is important, an enslaved WOMAN escaping and outsmarting our first president's family. The writing is strong. The text would work well in a 4th or 5th-grade classroom, particularly as students explore the strengths of our early presidents. Seeing heroes as complicated and flawed is important, and a good way to grow critical thinking skills. The challenge is that the illustrations are naive. I am ambivalent about if the author chose this approach purposefully. In the Revolutionary War era, naive illustrations were often used as a form of resistance. Additionally, early American painters, called limners, often made naive portraits of people for pay. Perhaps Hooks is recalling these items. The thing though is that the illustrations can sometimes detract from the text. With that caveat, I do recommend this book.

3.5

Thanks to NetGallery for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ona Judge’s story is an important one because it reveals a great deal about the world in which George Washington and his slaves lived. It opens up issues like freedom vs. enslavement, individual rights vs. legal obligations, and courage to pursue change vs. hopelessness and conformity. This book tells Ona Judge’s story but does not provide a strong position on these issues. In addition, many of the illustrations do not match the text. For example, when readers learn that “young Ona was too little for housework,” the illustrations show her as big—even mature and also disproportioned. Another illustration shows slave parents parting from their children who were sold. However, the parents are waving goodbye and don’t appear distraught. While readers will learn about Ona Judge’s from a clearly written text, there is more that could be done to help readers think about this compelling story.

This little book is a treasure. It tells the story of an incredible young woman, and it is a story that needs to be told,

This is truly an amazing story. We forget, because we like to make the founding fathers such wonderful men, that many of them kept slaves, including George Washington. Ona Judge was one of his house slaves that he took to Philadelphia, when she was president, in fact.

<img src="https://g2comm.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Screen-Shot-2019-01-29-at-9.15.22-AM.png" alt="Ona judge" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-4937" />

This picture book is the simplified story of how she managed to escape capture, after she ran away. And remember that an enslaved person did not become free, simply by running away. They remained a slave, even while living in a free state.

Washington did not take well to having lost her, and tried several times to get her back.

A great picture book to show the underside of one of the founding fathers, as well as a very smart woman.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

Beautiful illustrations and a powerful story combine to create a strong narrative that would be appropriate for any classroom.