The Story of Phillis Wheatley: The African Poet Who Called America to Christ

By K. A. Ellis

... Show All

Format: Paperback

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Availability: Forthcoming

Expected: Aug 18, 2026

Retail Price: $11.99

The Story of Phillis Wheatley: The African Poet Who Called America to Christ

By K. A. Ellis

... Show All

Middle-Grade Biography Highlights Phillis Wheatley’s Life of Faith, Determination, and Intellect  

Phillis Wheatley, ripped away from her family and sold into a life of slavery, would one day negotiate her way to freedom. Unwilling to succumb to the brokenness around her, Wheatley believed God had a redemptive plan for her life. Through her poetry and prayer, Wheatley beautifully expressed her trust in the Lord and called the nation and important American figures to Christ, while advocating for freedom from injustices that plagued the country. 

This short and lively biography invites middle-grade readers to explore the life of Phillis Wheatley, highlighting her inspiring testimony and remarkable work as a poet, abolitionist, and wife. Through her story, readers learn that God works even in the harshest circumstances, ensuring that nothing can separate them from his love, word, and salvation. Featuring illustrations, maps, timelines, bonus sidebars, and study questions, this addition to the Lives of Faith and Grace series engages kids ages 8–13 in the drama of history, showing how God worked in the past through ordinary people like them.

  • Lively Biography: Explores the influential life of Phillis Wheatley, a remarkable African poet who inspired spiritual and social change through a revival of true biblical Christianity  
  • Written for Kids Ages 8–13: This short format includes illustrations, maps, timelines, and bonus sidebars that help explain the history of slavery, the Revolutionary War, and other events of the 18th century
  • Honest: Details the cruel realities of slavery, and explains its presence in the Bible as a sinful result of the fall
  • Inspiring Testimony: Phillis Wheatley believed that God uses all circumstances, including her own suffering, for his glory and her good
  • Part of the Lives of Faith and Grace Series: Engages kids with the real-life stories of Christian men and women from history

Author:

K. A. Ellis

K. A. Ellis is a pioneer in Christian endurance studies, which includes theologies of persecution, martyrdom, endurance, risk, and joy. Her areas of interest include world Christianity, ethics, and faithful living under anti-Christian hostility. Ellis teaches at the Edmiston Center for Christian Endurance Studies in Atlanta, Georgia.

Product Details

Format: Paperback
Page Count: 112
Size: 5.25 in x 8.0 in
Weight: 10.0 ounces
ISBN-10: 1-4335-9324-6
ISBN-13: 978-1-4335-9324-6
ISBN-UPC: 9781433593246
Published: August 18, 2026

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Genius Captured: The Door of No Return (c. 1757–1764)
Chapter 2: No Place for a Child: The ‘Middle Passage’ (c. 1764)
Chapter 3: Highest Bidders: The Wheatley Household (1764)
Chapter 4: “A Very Right Answer” (1771)
Chapter 5: Revolutionary Choices (1770–1772)
Chapter 6: Library Things and a Love for Words (c.1772–1775)
Chapter 7: Phillis’s Extraordinary Friends (1772)
Chapter 8: The Africans Across the Pond (1773)
Chapter 9: Annus Mirabilus (1773)
Chapter 10: When All Shall Know the Lord (1773–1776)
Chapter 11: Open Love, Lost Graves (1776–1784)
 
Conclusion: Lessons from a Life
Study Questions
Timeline
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