Harriet Tubman, Secret Agent

Harriet Tubman, Secret Agent

How Daring Slaves and Free Blacks Spied for the Union During the Civil War

Paperback

Grades 5–9
Ages 10–14

Thomas B. Allen’s follow-up to the multi-award-winning George Washington, Spymaster is now available in paperback. This compelling biography tells the amazing tale of Harriet Tubman using details uncovered from military and intelligence archives, diaries and little-known memoirs from ex-slaves. In a compelling narrative, surprising new facts about Harriet’s story are brought to light: readers discover that the ex-slave who led hundreds to freedom along the Underground Railroad was also a spy for the Union Army!

Harriet Tubman, Secret Agent brings readers deep into the undercover world of African-American spies—enslaved and liberated—risking everything in the name of freedom. How were the Underground Railroad and slave songs used to pass secret messages? What were "contrabands" and "black dispatches?" What did Harriet share with the Secret Six and a maidservant in the home of Confederate President Jefferson Davis? The answers are revealed as history’s irresistible plot unfolds.

This detailed account of one of America’s most fascinating figures provides an authoritative source for paper writers and research students. Thomas B. Allen’s narrative is augmented with attractive woodcuts by Carla Bauer, archival photographs, artwork, and maps. The time line of events, references to Web sites, footnotes with extensive source listings, and comprehensive index make Allen’s biography an invaluable addition to every public and school library.

National Geographic supports K-12 educators with ELA Common Core Resources.
Visit www.natgeoed.org/commoncore for more information.

ISBN 9781426304019 (Paperback)
Published on Dec 23, 2008
Published by National Geographic Kids
Pages 192
Dimensions 5-1/2 x 6-7/8
Age Range 10-14 years
Grade Grades 5-9
Reading Level Lexile: 1120L

Thomas B. Allen

Thomas B. Allen (1928–2004) was an American expressionist painter and illustrator known for his role in the rise of visual journalism in the 1950s and 1960s. Later in his career, he began illustrating children’s books such as The Chalk Box Kid, In Coal Country, and Grandma’s General Store: The Ark.

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