Free! is a collection of true stories from the Underground Railroad written for readers of all ages. It chronicles the heroic journeys that real men, women and children took on their way to freedom. The reader is brought inside the box and under the burlap sack to learn what it was really like to be an escaped slave. All of the stories in Free! are based upon actual incidents of Black people escaping from chattel slavery. Lorene Cary adapted these tales from narratives and records that were first told by William Still, who was one of the key organizers of the Underground Railroad. Cary brings to life an important and overlooked part of American history by bringing to light stories of hope and human struggle."Lorene Cary is a deft, focused writer. Free! is yet another example of her ability to tell the astounding, immutable truth of what it means to be human.

"Diane McKinney-Whetstone, Winner of the 2005 Black Caucus of the American Library Association Literary Award for Leaving Cecil Street.