Description

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Katie and her best friend Homan fly their kite, The Union, across the vast Niagara Gorge in 1848, winning the miraculous sum of $5 and laying the foundation for the first suspension bridge across the chasm, a bridge that quickly became an important part of the Underground Railroad!
Accompany Katie, Homan and Homan’s adorable dog Ella as they discover how suspension bridges are built and see the Underground Railroad in action in the mid-1800s. Kite to Freedom is an action-filled, fictionalized account of actual events that occurred during the construction of the Niagara International Suspension bridge connecting the U.S. and Canada at Niagara Falls.

About the Author

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Kathleen A. Dinan was inspired to write this book by her father. She was born in Buffalo, New York, and lived most of her adult life in Glen Ridge, New Jersey, where she raised her three children. A graduate of Saint Louis University School of Law, she worked in New York City for many years. Iris M. Kirkwood, a self-taught visual artist, was born and raised in Buffalo, New York, just a few miles from Niagara Falls. She used elements of the story, the setting, the young characters, and her unique point of view, combined with digital and traditional tools, to create the visual narrative for this story. Her work is in private collections as well as exhibited in galleries and museums.