Blurb

Isaac’s only friend is a passenger pigeon named Bandy. He deludes himself in believing the bird talks to him. Bullied, he is resigned to a life of being the misunderstood bookworm by neighboring boys until a disastrous fire kills his parents and little sisters, sparing only his younger brother, Thomas. He and Thomas are taken in by their Uncle Raymond, an abolitionist, who plans to send Isaac to Virginia to buy Joy, a young slave with debilitating health, from her slave owner, Wil Jericho. Shortly after arriving in Virginia, Isaac learns the ugly truth. The butler who accompanied him on the journey killed his uncle before leaving and plans to do the same to Isaac to steal Raymond’s estate.

Isaac, with Joy, escape into the backwoods of Virginia. Discovering passages of the Underground Railroad, stowing away in carriages, hiding in churches, and outwitting the mercenaries hired by Jericho, the two teens fight tooth and nail to make it to Boston before they’re caught. Will Joy be taken from this life by sickness before she’s found freedom? On their journey, they learn a lot about each other. Isaac promises to bring Joy to Bandy’s pond, a heavenly place where peace and serenity reign.

Review

Bandy by Craig R Hipkins is a gripping historical adventure set in the few months between the election of Abraham Lincoln and the start of Americans Civil War.

At only thirteen, Isaac Barker is forced to take on responsibilities that adults would quail at when he is sent from Boston to Virginia to buy an enslaved girl of his own age, Joy, from her owner and bring her safely to freedom. The journey is fraught with danger, betrayal and the possibility of absolute failure. Help comes from surprising sources along the way and shows that occasionally even the ‘bad’ are capable of redemption.

The novel contains beautiful descriptions of the natural world and the peace it can bring yet it also provides glimpses into the darkest of hearts. One of the great strengths of the novel is the insight it gives into the corruption wrought in the character of those who held absolute ownership of other people which permitted them to indulge in cruelty and viciousness unchecked. Even the kinder of the slave-owning class seemed not recognize the humanity of the enslaved people at their beck and call.

The characterization of Isaac, in particular, is excellent. He starts out as a lonely a boy but through his journey he finds moral strength, courage and the skill to survive and to protect his newfound friend, Joy. Isaac is a complex character—his anger gets them out of several dangerous situations, yet it seems barely controlled. I do not know if Bandy is the first in a series, but it would be interesting to read more of Isaac and watch his growth to full manhood through the times that are on the horizon, and to see how he learns to contains and use that surprising anger.

From the very start of the novel, Craig Hipkins create a palpable sense of threat and danger. As the story develops it becomes an absolute page-turner!