Come Juneteenth by Ann Rinaldi

Fourteen-year-old Luli lives with her family on their Texas plantation. When is comes out that Lincoln has freed all the southern slaves in the Emancipation Proclamation, they join the other Texas plantation owners and keep it secret from their slaves. Luli struggles to keep the secret from her sister, Sis Goose, who though a slave owned by Luli's Aunt has always been considered part of their family and treated as Luli's sister. Luli's life changes dramatically changes when Union troops occupy her family's plantation and the secret is revealled. Rinaldi is the master of creating solid historical fiction and making historical characters come to life. This novel, however, is not as strong as some of her previous works. Luli is a biased and very naïve young girl who struggles with keeping such an important secret from the girl she considers her secret. The other characters are as well developed, which is disappointing especially in regards to Sis Goose. The pace and action move along slowly, but contains twists and turns that will keep readers interested through the heartbreaking ending. The moral issues would lend itself to an interesting book discussion. Includes an author's note and bibliography.