Review 2: 'Forge,' the sequel to the book, 'Chains,' is the story of Curzon Bellingham (who prefers to be called Curzon Smith) after escaping the chains of slavery with his friend, Isabel. They have to quote the word in context, define the word and create their own sentence using the word.Story Summarizer - The students must write a one paragraph summary for each of the assigned chapters. Question 6 is a Self-Knowledge Question.Content Connector - The students must find four passages from the assigned chapters which relate directly with content being covered in the classroom.Word Wizard - The students must find six social studies words in the assigned chapters. Question 2 is an Interpretation Question.

Students, in groups of four, can be assigned rotating roles on a weekly basis which will allow all students to participate in all aspects of the literature circle activity.Discussion Director - The discussion directors job is to formulate six questions which will guide the discussion about the assigned chapters. The story concludes with a gut wrenching account of Curzon’s recapture and struggle with his former slave master.Overall, “Forge” gives a middle school teacher an excellent opportunity to explore the world of Revolutionary America and creates the basis of an interactive student centered literature circle project. The story moves along and details the Continental Soldiers horrific winter at Valley Forge. The story includes detailed accounts of the Battle of Saratoga with vivid descriptions of battle scenes and soldiers perspectives of war. more on and his adventures as a runaway slave with the historical details of the Revolutionary War. Anderson seamlessly weaves together the gripping story of Curz. Eager to hide his runaway status Curzon heads North and finds himself in the middle of the Battle for Saratoga New York a major turning point in the Revolutionary War.

Curzon, a runaway slave, leaves his female counterpart and protagonist of “Chains”, Isabel, and heads North. “Forge” picks up where “Chains” leaves off but focuses on the male protagonist named Curzon. Review 1: “Forge” a middle school novel by esteemed adolescent author Laurie Halse Anderson is an excellent Historical Fiction choice for any teacher looking to enhance their students learning about the issue of American Slavery during the Revolutionary War period.“Forge” is the sequel to Anderson’s award winning novel “Chains”.

Forge by Laurie Halse Anderson