Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson

Isabel is barely 13 and she has already seen her father beaten and torn from her Rhode Island family and her mother dead from disease. When her kind mistress dies, Isabel trusts in the promise that she and her five-year-old sister Ruth will be granted their freedom. But no written proof of this promise can be found. Instead the sisters are sold to Mr. and Mrs. Lockton and taken to New York City, a battleground in the British and Patriot struggle for America’s freedom. As Isabel clings to the hope of her own freedom, she is drawn into the larger conflict. Believing her best hope lies with the British, she refuses to help Curzon, another young slave, and become part of the Patriot fight. Her biggest concern is caring for Ruth. Mrs. Lockton calls Ruth “simple” and dresses her like a pet. But when Isabel can no longer hide the fact that Ruth is subject to fits, the unthinkable happens and she wakes up one morning to find Ruth gone. Burning with hatred for the Locktons, Isabel turns her strength, quick thinking and secret ability to read against their Tory cause. When Curzon is taken prisoner, she knows that the time has come to make the fight for freedom personal. In a daring move, the two young slaves flee, setting the stage for the book’s sequel, Forge.