A well-researched historical fiction for young readers that does a brilliant job balancing the resilience and strength of Black people while not erasing Black humanity or centering the white gaze.

Not everyone escaped via the Underground Railroad. Some formerly enslaved people escaped and created safe havens hidden deep within the swamps. FREEWATER by Amina Luqman-Dawson tells the story of one such community set in the Great Dismal Swamp on the border of North Carolina and Virginia. Homer, Ada, and their Mother begin to flee North from Southerland Plantation, but Mother goes back to get Homer's friend. When she doesn't return, and with the overseer intent on bringing the children back, Homer and Ada continue the perilous journey through the dense vines and marshy land, until they are discovered by a stranger, Suleman. THis savior and superman guides them to the safety of Freewater, a community of formerly enslaved who have established their own village far from the plantations on the other side of the swamp. They use the natural resources to build shelter, secret doorways, and walkways both on and above the ground. They raise crops, and devise a warning system in case of intruders or problems. They create a system of governance and spirituality. Loosely based on the maroon communities of the Caribbean, Brazil, and the Americas, there are strong themes of freedom and survival, for both family and community. This was a fascinating book full of characters, each with a different backstory and motivation. FREEWATER can be approached from many angles such as theme, character analysis, history, or world building, to name a few, but it definitely belongs on the reading lists of middle school and above.
Thank you to Little, Brown Books for Young Readers and Netgalley for the digital arc.

Read full review at our blog - link provided. We'd like to thank the publisher for giving us a copy in exchange for a review!

I really loved the story of Homer, his sister, and their bravery and compassion for their family and new friends. I did struggle a bit with the many strands of the novel and pulling each of the stories together into the whole.

A joy to read!

Set in the swamplands of the South and rich with lyrical language, engaging characters and a riveting plot, this thoughtfully rendered story is a compelling and empowering exploration of Black resistance during the time of African enslavement. Highly recommended for middle grade readers.

First off I like to say a big thank you to TBR Tours & Beyond for allowing me another chance to be on one of their wonderful tours and to the Publishers for sending me a Netgalley Arc.


Well for one I do not pick up many historical fiction and that includes Middle Grade but there was something about Freewater which intrigued me and so I was delighted when I got approved.

Amina managed to get me hook, line and sinker after reading the first few pages that I knew I was onto something special. I loved the different POV's and you always knew which was POV you were reading about as it was in the main chapter header. Out of all the POV's my favourite was Sanzi as she was so sassy but yet had so many flaws to her character. I also loved the short chapters it gave the story a huge momentum which worked amazingly well towards the end. One thing that really hit me was that the consequences of each character's actions not only could change them but for all those around them and that must of been huge for them.


I am not going to delve anymore into the book but I would say is read the author's notes. This should be a mandatory read in schools even in the UK where I am from I think this would be a great book to be discussed about. So I am rating Freewater 5 stars

Disclaimer: I received this e-book from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Freewater

Author: Amina Luqman-Dawson

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 4/5

Diversity: Black MC and characters

Recommended For...: middle grade readers, historical fiction, slavery, plantations

Publication Date: February 1, 2022

Genre: MG Historical Fiction

Recommended Age: 12+ (slavery, violence, slight gore, scary moments, slight allusion to rape, romance, religion, child abuse, drug allusion, drug abuse allusion)

Explanation of CWs: The book discusses slavery, child abuse, and has scenes of running away from an overseer and allusions to drugs and drug abuse as well as rape to the mother character. There are some very scary moments in the book that might be upsetting to some readers. There is some very slight romance. There is also religion mentioned throughout the book.

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Pages: 416

Synopsis: Under the cover of night, twelve-year-old Homer flees Southerland Plantation with his little sister Ada, unwillingly leaving their beloved mother behind. Much as he adores her and fears for her life, Homer knows there’s no turning back, not with the overseer on their trail. Through tangled vines, secret doorways, and over a sky bridge, the two find a secret community called Freewater, deep in the swamp.

In this society created by formerly enslaved people and some freeborn children, Homer finds new friends, almost forgetting where he came from. But when he learns of a threat that could destroy Freewater, he crafts a plan to find his mother and help his new home.

Deeply inspiring and loosely based on the history of maroon communities in the South, this is a striking tale of survival, adventure, friendship, and courage.

Review: This was a good read. It is a deeply profound book about a child who is living and escapes from slavery. The book was wonderfully well paced and plotted. The book had amazing character development and world building. The book did well to explain slavery and some of the horrors that Black people saw during slavery to a young audience. I feel like this book should be part of a teaching curriculum to show younger children and lay the groundwork for further understanding of the enslavement period of the United States.

The only issue I really had with the book is that I thought it was hard to get into at first and that I needed the synopsis to fully understand what was happening in the book at first.

Verdict: It was well done! Highly recommend!

Freewater is an extraordinary piece of writing.

Debut author Amina Luqman-Dawson’s story is one that shines bright in the resistance of enslaved people and shares a neglected part of American history with young readers. And her well researched fiction gives readers a landscape of Sothern swamps and those who fled for its safety. She paints these scenes in bright, bold, and vibrant colors filling it with indelible characters readers will root for and remember.

And the characters will have young readers fully engaged. Each character leaps off the page fully formed. Having a unique voice, as well as an inner strength and drive to take risks, even when they are scary. The changing points of view added to the richness of the story telling, moving from one character to the other, in tandem with the pulsing beat of the story.

Balancing truths and the realities of enslavement with hope and courage, Luqman-Dawson eloquently crafts prose that at times have these intense moments, yet conveys a powerful message about courage, the bonds of family, and the will to survive.

A must read.

This fascinating imaginative telling of a civilization of formerly enslaved people living in the swamps of Louisiana was actually inspired by true events. The characters were well-written and complex--to the point that some were in the position to act against other enslaved people in order to look out for their own interests. The descriptions of the plantation owners were difficult to read at times, but a necessary account.

Overall, the author did. a very nice job balancing difficult events while tempering things for a middle grade audience. This is a worthwhile read for those who want to see the perspective centered on African American people who were enslaved in the 19th century.

What a beautiful book! Engrossing and exciting, Freewater gives an important history lesson and provides information on events students need to learn. The characters are vibrant and we care about each of them. This book will go into many social studies and English classrooms.

I requested this ARC on netgalley when I saw the author’s Muslim-sounding name (my daughters name actually😊!). I don’t really know if the author is Muslim or not, and tbh, I don’t really mind either way. This book was so amazingly written, POWERFUL, and educating that I am so glad I read it and I think its a genuine must-have for everyone!!!

Genre: Upper MG Historical Fiction
Ages: 11/12-15
Available: make sure to preorder before the Feb release date

Islamic Screening: slight allusion to the Master being the rapist of the mother. Crushes. Prayers and Thanks given to nature/tree/swamp. Abuse/beating/lashes. Music/instruments, eating pig. Allusion to drugs in form of poppy flower and a purposeful drugging as part of an escape plan. (There is no specific faith actually mentioned in the book, and I found it pretty appropriate and very clean for the recommended age)

In the swamps of the American south, theres a small community where slaves are free. Homer and his sister Ada are running from the plantation with their mom when they stumble upon someone who takes them to this place: FreeWater. However, one problem: Homer’s mother is caught and taken back to the plantation, and its all “Homer’s fault”. At Freewater, Homer meets Sanzi, Billy, Ferdinand, and Juna (who all have their own stories and chapters). When Homer decides to go back for his mother and best friend Ana, his friends go with him. And at the plantation, these brave children face all their fears…(I won’t spoil it because honestly it was so well written and the reader must experience it on their own.)

I feel like this book needs to be required reading for upper elementary and middle school students. Not only does it paint the picture of the injustice of slavery in the history of the American South and how it broke families and spirits, but it also showcases the resistance and strength of Black Americans. The free swamp community of FreeWater is actually based on a truth of real historical free communities at the time and the author’s note at the end explains this well.

Honestly, this story is an inspiration and educating, and it was truly written masterfully.

A must have!

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy in return for an honest review.

A well researched historical fiction middle grade book told from multiple POVs, bringing the resistance story of enslaved people to life. I think it's important to read the Author's Note at the end of the book for additional historical context and details.

As a note my rating of this book is 4.5 stars but rounded up to 5 and not down to 4. I thoroughly enjoyed the story, but at 416 pages it's on the longer side of middle grade books.