Chains written by Laurie Halse Anderson is an astonishing novel about a thirteen year old girl named, Isabel, fighting for her freedom. Isabel and her five year old sister, Ruth, were supposed to be freed after their kind mistress died, but in an unexpected twist they lost hope and freedom. They were sold to a very vicious couple in New York, when the American Revolution had barely begun. The couple, known as the Locktons, would abuse them both physically and verbally but that wouldn’t stop Isabel from trying to achieve her goal. Isabel would do as much work as possible and took punishments for Ruth. She was a harder and smarter worker than Ruth because of the age differences. No matter what happened Isabel would always keep her head up and continue to do the work they ordered her to do.
When Isabel had recently arrived, she made a friend named Curzon, who was owned by a Patriot named Mr. Bellingham. Curzon offered Isabel freedom in exchange for spying on the Locktons, but she wasn’t sure if she wanted to put herself in such a dangerous position. That was when Isabel found out that the unexpected had occurred to Ruth. Isabel was now determined to get her freedom and find where Ruth was. After agreeing to the offer she would spy on the Locktons and sneak out of the house in the middle of the night to inform the Patriots. Even though Isabel had done her part of the offer the Patriots betrayed her. Isabel was then lost and confused on who could help her achieve her goals. Will she find Ruth? Will she get the freedom she deserves?

This novel makes you ask yourself several questions that may remain unanswered. It is told through first person narration, which gives you a lot of Isabel’s thoughts and questions. This novel shows you how hard the life of a slave was and how life was during the Revolutionary War. Chains may be a fictional novel but it makes everything seem so realistic because of the perfect wording the author chooses. The author literally paints a picture in your head to make it seem like a movie, because you visualize everything. This book may be based off of history but you will enjoy reading the suspenseful moments that occur.

Chains is a perfect novel that has the right characters, the perfect setting, and a good plot. After reading this book you will be informed with information about the Revolution War. This novel is recommended for anyone that likes to read suspenseful and mystery books. With such an amazing ending it is a must read for all teenagers and adults because it helps you understand how difficult life was for slaves. Chains is an excellent book that you will not stop reading until the end.