The Land (novel) facts for kids
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| Author | Mildred D. Taylor |
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| Original title | The Land |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | children's literature, historical fiction |
| Publisher | Scholastic |
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Publication date
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2001 |
| Pages | 375 |
| ISBN | 0-8037-1950-7 |
| OCLC | 44469121 |
| LC Class | PZ7.T21723 Lan 2001 |
| Preceded by | The Road to Memphis |
| Followed by | All the Days Past, All the Days to Come |
The Land is an exciting novel written by Mildred D. Taylor, published in 2001. It's the sixth book in the Logan Family saga, a series of stories that started with Song of the Trees in 1975. This book is special because it's a "prequel," meaning it tells a story that happened before the others.
It shares the early life of Paul-Edward Logan, who is Cassie Logan's grandfather in the other books. You'll follow Paul-Edward from when he's a nine-year-old boy all the way to his mid-twenties. The Land won two big awards in 2002: the Coretta Scott King Author Award and the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction.
This book was originally thought to be the last in the series. But then, All the Days Past, All the Days to Come came out in 2020. That new book continues the Logan family's story after The Road to Memphis, which is set twenty years later.
Contents
What is The Land About?
The Land tells the life story of Paul-Edward Logan. Paul is the son of a white father and a mother who has both Black and Native American heritage. The story is told from Paul's point of view. The book also includes some notes from Paul's journal after the main story ends.
Paul's Early Life
The novel starts when Paul-Edward is nine years old. It shows how his life is different from many other people who were once enslaved. We meet his three brothers, his sister, and Mitchell Thomas. Mitchell is a Black boy whose father works for Paul's father. Mitchell becomes a very important friend to Paul.
At first, Mitchell often picks on Paul because Paul is multiracial. Paul's father and brothers tell him to "use his head" to solve his problems. Paul's parents often remind him of the challenges of being biracial. After a few months of Mitchell's teasing, Paul makes a deal with him. Paul agrees to teach Mitchell how to read, write, and do math. In return, Mitchell will teach Paul how to fight and stand up for himself. Mitchell warns Paul that he can't teach him how to win every fight.
Paul and Mitchell soon get tired of always obeying Paul's father, Edward Logan. Paul gets a chance to race another man's horse. Edward Logan tells Paul not to do it, saying it's risky to ride a horse he doesn't know. But Paul races anyway and wins! However, the horse owner doesn't want to pay Paul. Because Paul is of mixed heritage, the owner thinks he doesn't have to pay him. Mitchell strongly stands up for Paul and makes sure the white man pays him the money he earned. After this, Paul and Mitchell decide to leave. They get on a train with the help of a kind white woman.
Growing Up and Working Hard
Paul and Mitchell start working in a lumber camp. They want to leave and decide to split up so they don't draw attention. While they are apart, Mitchell goes to more lumber camps. Paul discovers a piece of land owned by J. T. Hollenbeck. When Paul sees this land, he knows it's "The Land" he dreams of owning. The book then describes Paul's experiences working in different places, like a general store owned by Luke Sawyer and as a woodworker in a town called Vicksburg.
Eventually, Paul and Mitchell meet a man named Filmore Granger. They make a deal to work for 40 acres of land. This isn't "The Land" Paul wants, but clearing these 40 acres will help him earn money to buy J.T. Hollenbeck's land. The deal is that if Paul can clear the 40 acres in about two years, he and Mitchell will own it.
After working hard for a few months, Paul realizes he needs more help. Mitchell suggests Tom Bee, a Black man he worked with before. Paul also hires a white boy he met earlier and a young Black boy named Nathan Perry. Nathan later becomes Paul's brother-in-law. For a while, a white boy named Wade Jamison also helps Paul clear the land.
Mitchell marries Caroline, and she soon becomes pregnant. Paul continues to work for his land. Sadly, Digger Wallace, who was angry at Mitchell, attacks him. One day, while Mitchell is working on Filmore Granger's land, Digger shoots him. Mitchell is badly hurt while cutting down a tree and is crushed by it. When Paul returns, Mitchell is almost gone. Mitchell's last wish is for Paul to marry Caroline and take care of their unborn child. After Mitchell dies, Paul tries to find Digger but can't. Later, Digger is found dead in a river.
Later that year, the work on the 40 acres is almost finished. It should soon belong to Paul, even with all the extra rules Granger added to try and keep the land. Granger then claims they cut trees outside the agreed area. He tells Paul to leave the land unless he wants to sharecrop, which means giving Granger a share of everything grown. Paul's sister, Cassie, sends their brother Robert with an envelope. It contains the money Paul needs to buy J. T. Hollenbeck's land. His brother tells Paul about their family's situation and gives him the envelope. Inside are the money and two letters. Paul's sister explains that their mother owned the land they lived on as children. Ten years after their mother's death, she sold the land to their father for $500, which was much more than it was worth. This money, combined with his sister's savings, was enough to buy the land.
After burying Mitchell, Paul asks Caroline to marry him. Caroline says yes, admitting she loves him too. From this point, Paul buys his dream land, moves onto it, and lives the life he always wanted.
Building a Legacy
In this part, Paul visits his family when his father is sick. He sees Robert, Hammond, Cassie, and Cassie's husband Howard. Paul had visited Hammond's store over the years, but he hadn't heard from his brothers Robert and George in a long time. No one had heard from George in years. The day after Paul arrived home, his father passed away. Paul then bought another 200 acres of Hollenbeck land from Wade Jamison, adding to his dream.
Main Characters
- Paul-Edward Logan: The main character and narrator. He is multiracial and the son of a white landowner.
- Deborah Logan (Mom): Paul and Cassie's mother. She was the love of Edward's life.
- Mitchell: Paul's best friend. He is the son of one of the workers on Paul's father's farm. When they were children, Mitchell didn't like Paul's privileged life.
- Edward Logan (Dad): The father of Paul, Cassie, George, Hammond, and Robert. Paul and Cassie are one-quarter Black because Edward had a relationship with a woman he owned who was half Black and half Native American.
- Cassie Logan Millhouse: Paul's older sister. She moves away and marries Howard Millhouse. She helps Paul deal with being multiracial.
- Robert Logan: The youngest of Paul's brothers. They are close in age and spent their childhood playing and learning together. Their relationship changes when Robert goes against Paul.
- George Logan: Paul's second oldest white brother. He doesn't show any unfair feelings towards Paul because of his race. He seems energetic and can get angry quickly.
- Hammond Logan: Paul's oldest white brother. He also doesn't have any unfair feelings towards Paul. He seems smart and kind. He stands up for his brother and appears at the end of the book to meet Paul.
- Luke Sawyer: A shop owner. Paul builds furniture for him and learns many things in return.
- Caroline Perry: A strong, capable, hardworking, and beautiful Black woman. Both Paul and Mitchell are interested in her.
- Tom Bee: A Black man who helps Paul on the 40 acres.
- Digger Wallace: A mean white man who causes trouble for Paul and Mitchell. He was jealous of Paul and Mitchell and attacked Mitchell.
- John Wallace: A white man and Digger's brother. He fled with Digger after the attack on Mitchell.
- J.T. Hollenbeck: A white landowner who is willing to sell land to Paul for a fair price. He is from the North.
- Ray Sutcliffe: A man who uses Paul to win a horse race but then refuses to pay him the promised money.
- Sam Perry: Caroline's father. He acts like a father figure to Paul.
- Filmore Granger: A landowner who makes a written deal with Paul for 40 acres. But after adding many difficult conditions, he tries to find a false reason to break the deal when the land is cleared. He knows that Paul, as a "man of color," has fewer legal rights against a white man.
- Harlan Granger: Filmore Granger's son.
- Wade Jamison: The son of Charles Jamison, who is white and a friend of Nathan. Wade helps Paul try to get the 40 acres from Filmore Granger.
- Rachel Perry: Caroline and Nathan's mother and Sam's wife. Rachel is a very religious Christian woman who raised her family with strong beliefs. She is an excellent cook and homemaker who cares deeply for her husband and family. She doesn't like Paul at first because he looks white, but she eventually sees his good character.
- Nathan Perry: Caroline's younger brother. His father, Sam Perry, brings Nathan to learn woodworking from Paul and help him clear "The Forty" acres of land. Nathan looks up to Mitchell and Paul.
How the Story Was Created
Mildred D. Taylor's novels are often based on stories she read, heard, or was told about her own family's history. She explained, "I remember my grandparents' house, the house my great-grandfather had built at the turn of the century, and I remember the adults talking about the past. As they talked, I began to imagine all the family who had once known The Land and I felt as if I knew them too." This shows how personal and meaningful the story of The Land was to her.
