Synopsis

Kite to Freedom: The Story of a Kite-Flying Contest, the Niagara Falls Suspension Bridge, and the Underground Railroad is an action-packed, fictionalized account of actual events that occurred during the construction of the Niagara Falls International Suspension Bridge, which still connects the United States and Canada at Niagara Falls.

When engineers were faced with the challenge of bridging the vast Niagara Gorge, the solution was a kite-flying contest. After Katie and Homan’s kite crosses the gorge and wins the contest, construction begins on the first suspension bridge to connect the United States and Canada. The two friends are there as it becomes an important link on the Underground Railroad, helping slaves escape to freedom. Even as her parents try to shield her from the ugly existence of slavery and the dangers of the Underground Railroad, Katie discovers that the scary truth is closer to home than she could have imagined, even meeting a woman she later learns was Harriet Tubman along the way.

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Excerpt

Get a peek into the book with this excerpt from chapter 4.

Katie’s Question

On their walk home, Katie and her papa talked about the contest. Papa told Katie that she and Homan should hope that the snow held off for the contest. Katie breathed into the icy air just to see it. It wasn’t long before the father and daughter reached home and Katie ran inside to hug her mother.

“Something smells delicious,” exclaimed Papa. “I made stew and some bread this afternoon,” said Katie’s mama.

Katie was at the stove, peering into the pot and smelling the simmering dinner. Mama came over to the stove and began scooping heaps of the stew into bowls, handing them to Katie to bring to the table. They sat down and Katie began slurping her stew as her parents talked about the day. Her ears perked up when she heard her name.

“I’ve got an early delivery tomorrow, and Katie hoped to come with me in the morning to Homan’s place. They’re building a kite for the contest,” said Papa.

“Oh, is that right?” Mama asked. “What color kite are you going to build?”

Katie stopped gulping down her dinner to join the conversation.

“Homan says it’s called a barn door kite, but I don’t know what color it will be yet. We don’t have any fabric.”

“Well, I imagine it will have to be light enough to catch the wind, but sturdy enough to withstand the snow,” Mama said.

“Yeah, Homan said it needed to be real light.”

“Well, after you help me clean up dinner, maybe we can go through my fabric scraps to see if there is anything you like.”

“Really?” asked Katie, already visibly excited. Mama nodded, a small grin creeping across her face.

“Now where is this delivery that you’ve got to leave the house so early for?” Mama asked, looking Papa squarely in the face. “I don’t think it’s right of that Walsh fella to be sending you out before the sun even rises.”

“He’s not making me go. I just want to get the delivery out to the Cataract House,” Papa replied. “I’ve got some business to handle with the headwaiter. We have to straighten out some things.”

Mama seemed to understand exactly what this meant. Katie remembered the last time that she saw the Cataract House. She remembered Homan telling her about slaves. She remembered that woman as she ran away from all those angry men. She wondered if the woman was a slave.

“What’s a slave?” Katie asked. The question seemed to shock both of her parents. A silence that felt like an eternity ensued. Katie began to worry.

“Why you askin’ about slaves?” said Mama. “Where’d you hear that word?”

Papa seemed alarmed, as if something he had said led to this question.

“Well, the last time me and Homan went down to the islands, we saw the Cataract House and he told me Southerners come up here with their slaves.”

Papa finally spoke. “Homan is right. Lots of Southern people come to see Niagara Falls. The ones who can afford to stay at the Cataract House are rich, and many rich Southern families own slaves.”

“But a slave is a person, right?” asked Katie. “Homan said a slave is a black person who works for a white person and doesn’t get paid. How can you own a person?”

“Things are very different in the South, Katie,” said Papa. “People buy and sell other people and make them work in their fields. People who look like us are considered property—objects— in the South.”

“But how come we’re not?” asked Katie.

“Before you were born, your grandparents were purchased from a Southerner by a Northern man. That man made a habit of buying people—people just like you and me—and bringing them to the North to set them free,” said Mama.

“Those people at the Cataract House who come to see the Falls—do they set their slaves free when they come to the North?” Katie asked.

“Unfortunately, not all people share the same values,” said Papa.

“They bring slaves here to be slaves, and bring them home just the same,” added Mama.

Katie thought about bringing up the woman she had seen running away and the boat that ferried her off. She thought about telling them about all the angry men who chased her. But then she thought it best to not tell her parents what she had seen. Her parents might not let her go back to the Cataract House or go exploring, even during the summer. Maybe they wouldn’t even let her go to the kite-flying contest. She decided to remain silent.

That night, after all the dishes were washed and Katie had picked out pretty fabric for the kite from her mother’s bin of scraps, she changed into her nightgown and crawled into bed. She contemplated the dinner conversation. Now she understood what a slave was, but she still didn’t understand why she was any different.

Review

This is a great middle-grade book that teaches children about how a suspension bridge was built over the Niagra Falls gorge and also teaches them about how different parts of the country viewed slavery in the mid-1800s along with some facts about the Underground Railroad and Harriet Tubman.

The story is well told and I appreciated Katie’s innocence in what she knew as a young lady. While she recognized that she and Homan had different skin colors, they treated each other as equals and didn’t think twice about their differences. I think they both learned a lesson about slavery and human rights as they observed a young black woman escaping to freedom in Canada. They are even able to meet her and spend time with her during a snowstorm that left them stranded in Canada for a few days.

I especially enjoyed the part of the story that educated me on how suspension bridges are built and the ingenuity that one person came up with to get the wire over the gorge to the other side. This was no easy task but it was a nice peek into STEM and might influence another young mind in this field.

I enjoyed the illustrations and felt like they capture the scene and the moment and add dimension to the book.

I think this is a must read for middle-grade students. They can learn quite a bit and perhaps whet their appetite for more. We give this book 5 paws up.

About the Author

Kathleen A. Dinan was inspired to write this book by her father. She was born in Buffalo, New York, and lived most of her adult life in Glen Ridge, New Jersey, where she raised her three children. A graduate of Saint Louis University School of Law, she worked in New York City for many years.

About the Illustrator

Iris M. Kirkwood, a self-taught visual artist, was born and raised in Buffalo, New York, just a few miles from Niagara Falls. She used elements of the story, the setting, the young characters, and her unique point of view, combined with digital and traditional tools, to create the visual narrative for this story. Her work is in private collections as well as exhibited in galleries and museums.