Copper Sun by Sharon Draper is about a 15 year old African girl named Amari. The book begins in Africa, focusing on Amari's daily life within her tribe. However, soon white slave traders invade her village, killing most of the tribe and enslaving Amari. She is taken throughout the slave process, allowing the reader to see the brutality of the Middle Passage and slave auctions. In the Carolinas, Amari is sold to a white plantation owner, who intends for her to be a birthday present for his 16 year old son. At the plantation, she is paired with Polly, an indentured white girl, who has a strong dislike for black slaves, seeing them as taking all of the jobs in the South. As the story continues, they begin to build a friendship based on survival. After helping their mistress conceal the birth of her and her black slave's son, they decide to escape the wrath of their master by running to Mexico, where they can achieve their freedom.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book, and I had trouble setting it down myself. If you wanted to teach about that time period, I would suggest using this book within your classroom. Sharon Draper gives a great index of resources in the back of the book that are designed for teachers and students if you wanted to have students do further research. The book is engaging, and I really thought Sharon Draper did a good job constructing this book and its characters. In terms of age, I would gear this book more towards 7th or 8th graders; although I did feel it could connect to children at any age.
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