A great and important read that definitely belongs in my elementary school library. Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC!

Journey to a Promised Land by Allison Lassieur is the story about a girl named Hattie. The spring of 1879 tried to bring a fresh start to a new world in Nashville, Tennessee. Although each of Hattie’s parents had been born into slavery, both obtained an education immediately following the Civil War. Her father works just as hard today, but for it is himself and his family and in his very own black-smith shop. Her mother happily runs the household and Hattie contributes, too. Not only a stand-out student, she also earns money for her family by mending for Miss Bradford.

After the American Civil War ended, many Black people found that they could not live int he former slave states, even though they were free. And although I had heard about the great migration of blacks during World War II, to get better jobs in the North, I had not heard of a mass exodus just after the Civil War, though that would make sense. I liked the historical note at the end that expanded on the topic of the Exodusters. It made me want to read more about it.

It’s also an excellent Middle Grade book. You can tell the author is a skilled writer. It’s well written, with the right amount of character and situation building, and it’s perfectly paced. The illustrations are also beautiful.

I received a ARC from North Star Editions and Jolly Fish Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book. Loved the characters, Papa, Mama, Hattie and all the rest. The author was writing about the Exodus of African Americans from the South to the North after the Civil War. The story was fiction but was a true account of what happened during that time. I hate everything that happened and I’m glad Abraham Lincoln finally stood and said this needs to stop. This is a blight on our beloved America. I thank #NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review #JourneytoaPromisedLand . My reviews are my own.

Journey to a Promised Land
A Story of the Exodusters
by Allison Lassieur

North Star Editions
Jolly Fish Press
Historical Fiction , Middle Grade
Pub Date 01 Jan 2019



I am reviewing Journey To A Promised Land Through North Star Editions and Netgalle:


Hattie Jacobs dreams of being a teacher one day. But her parents were former slaves who were struggling simply to survive. They struggled to make ends meet in Nashville Tennessee after the Reconstruction. In 1879 her family decides to join the Exodus to Kansas after her Father’s shop is purposely burned down. The journey to Kansas is not easy and full of hardship?


Will they even make it to Kansas?

This book is a great read and one I would recommend for Middle Grade Girl who is interested in historical fiction.


I give Journey to the Promised Land five out of five stars



Happy Reading

Hypatia "Hattie" Florence Jacobs dreams of being a teacher. However, her parents are. former slaves struggling to make ends meet in Nashville, Tennessee after Reconstruction. When the opportunity for the Jacobs family arises to join the Great Exodus of 1879 to Kansas for a better life, they find it hard to resist. The question remains: will the Jacobs remain unscathed from the danger-filled journey?

Journey to a Promised Land provides a glimpse into the lives of former slaves in post-Civil War America. The Great Exodus of 1879 is a rarely discussed event and through Hattie's eyes, we get to see the struggles that African-Americans in Post-Reconstruction South. Hattie's character will provide various learning points and a good introduction for middle-grade children (and big kids too!) especially with a socio-politically charged issue like race.

Really nice little story but for me not that big of deal just another story about black slaves and how they struggled. A lot of people struggled back then it wasn't just the blacks! Just say too many of these kinds of books!

I simply love this book. It was short and sweet and as a woman of color it was really great to read a fiction novel based on historical facts that shed light on a time rhat’s really in a grey area for most black Americans. I loved the main character, Hattie. She was so full of life and bravery. Seeing the world through a child’s eyes is really so insightful. I would definitely buy this for some of the young school children I know. It definitely makes me want to look into/educate myself on this time in history. Brava, Allison!

I loved this book. I'm a homeschool teacher and this is one of those books that could be so essential to classrooms to get children educated about something that is still very real to events happening today, and is so, so important for them to learn. This book was easy to read, but still gripping. I found myself gasping out loud a few times as I rooted so hard for the protagonist and her family. This is a book that has to be read. This is a part of American history that needs to be taught and known by more people. I would recommend this book. 5 out of 5 stars.

After the American Civil War ended, many Black people found that they could not live int he former slave states, even though they were free. And although I had heard about the great migration of blacks during World War II, to get better jobs in the North, I had not heard of a mass exodus just after the Civil War, though that would make sense.

This would be a good story to read along the Little House in the Prairie books, as this is a different view of the settling of the prairie, and the another group of pioneers.

Some things were predictable, such as when Hattie's father pisses off a white man, his blacksmith shop is set ablaze.

The story is well researched, and I enjoyed the story of Hattie and the Exodusters, as they were called.

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

What a fantastic start to what I hope is to be a new historical fiction series for middle grade readers! I've grown up loving books like Dear America, American Diaries, etc., where the main character finds herself in a part of American history and the audience follows her journey through the hardships and events of the time. This book has the same feel. However, it is a bit different in a pleasing way. Despite my fairly extensive historical knowledge, I have never heard of the main topic of this book: an Exodus in Reformation America, made by Exodusters. I'm shocked. But I'm thrilled that I got to learn about it through this book, and I'm even more thrilled that children will be reading this book and understanding a part of important American history that I didn't know about until my 20s.

In addition to this fact, "Journey to a Promised Land" is an easy read, well-written, with characters who have depth and are personable. You easily become acquainted with the main characters and hope and dream with them. They become a comfortable point to experience history alongside them. Not only that, but the end of the book had pictures and maps from the time period, wrapping all this new information up together with the story. Here is a book that will cultivate a love of reading and history in young readers. I loved it!

I hope this book is the start to a great new series! I will be looking to read more.