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Chains is a historical YA novel and the first book in the Seeds of America trilogy, written by American author Laurie Halse Anderson and published in 2008. Set around 1776, the story follows thirteen-year-old Isabel, an African-American slave fighting for her and her younger sister's freedom during the Revolutionary War. Isabel and her sister were promised their freedom on the death of their owner, Miss Mary Finch, but Miss Mary's nephew, Robert Finch sells them on to a Loyalist couple in New York. At the advice of a servant boy named Curzon, Isabel spies on her master and other Loyalists to report back any suspicious plans to the Patriot side. The novel references many real-life events, such as the failed plan of George Washington's assassination followed by the hanging of one of the conspirators. Chains was well received. Among other recognitions, the book was a National Book Award Finalist for Young People's Literature in 2008, and a 2010 Carnegie Medal Nominee.
