In Spanish, Amistad means friendship. It was also the name of a slave ship. In 1838, the Amistad took hundreds of kidnapped Africans on a long journey across the Atlantic, but the brave captives would not give up their freedom, taking over the ship so they could sail back to their homeland. Patricia C. McKissack, Caldecott and Newbery Honor Winner as well as a three-time winner of the Coretta Scott King Award, recounts an amazing chapter in American history for beginning readers.About the Author: Patricia C. McKissack lives in Chesterfield, Missouri. She has received the Coretta Scott King award three times.