Chains is a novel by Laurie Halse Anderson that follows the story of a 13 year-old girl and her struggles through life as a slave. It is set in 1776 in New York. The main character, Isabel, promises that she will protect her younger sister, Ruth. But when they are both sold to a couple called the Locktons, they are cruelly separated and Isabel must try to get her sister back and to win her freedom.

I think that this novel is very well written, mainly because I admire the author’s style of writing in the first person. I think this adds to the book in many ways; for example, it feels as if you're reading the diary of a real person who had lived a very tough life.

‘A wave of weariness crashed over me at the thought of serving Madam again, of allowing her to see her mark upon my face every day.’

This quotation shows the effect of writing in the first person. It lets you experience the feelings that the main character is feeling from the mouth of the main character, which I think works very well in a novel with so much emotion like Chains. This quotation is also a good example of the types of things Isabel has to go through nearly every day of her life.

I think that this novel is very powerful at reminding us of the things that happened to slaves hundreds of years ago, and I think it makes us thankful that things like the slave trade have stopped. However, the theme of the novel isn’t really what I like, mainly because it was quite depressing in some places.

Overall I would give this book 7/10.