Chains is set in New York in 1776, as the American Revolutionary War rages and a 13 year-old girl is in her own fight … a fight for freedom.

Isabel and her sister Ruth have been slaves since they were babies, and before their mother dies, she tells her to visit her grave daily, but nothing ever happens; but when her mistress dies a man called Mr Roberts comes and tell them that they have to be sold again. Isabel tries to persuade him that there is a will saying that they can be freed. But the Lawyer, who has flown to Boston, can’t be found. In an awful act Mr Roberts takes the slaves to be sold to a couple called the Locktons, and they are sent over to New York to work for the couple. In another awful act, Mrs Lockton separates the sisters, and now Isabel has to fight for her freedom and to get her sister back.

I like how this book gives you an image of what it was like to be an African slave in the war, and how Laurie Anderson manages to give you this image through it being absolutely horrific, like the images in History or Religious Studies. I also like that Isabel has a nickname of ‘Country.’

That’s when the blood curdling screams started in the kitchen.

I dropped the bottle and ran.

I found this at the end of the chapter and I wanted to read on: it made me wonder what was happening, was there a burglar, had something happened to Ruth or the mistress, or something else?

Anderson has made the novel historical and interesting at the same time: that is why I am giving this book 7/10.