Book
Reviews
Our
team read historical novels on the Civil War in preparation for paper
about the effect of historical events on the characters in the novel
and also to research a topic related to their novel about the Civil
War. Here are some of the books they read and their opinions on those
books.
Across
Five Aprils
by
Irene Hunt
Reviewed by Jennifer Randle
This
book is about the Creighton family who lived like any other family during
the Civil War. The main character, Jethro, shows and expresses the hardships
of working out in the farm while his brothers were serving in the war.
He and his sister, Jenny, took care of the family, including their dad
who has a stroke during the story. The Creighton family also goes through
tough times such as waiting to hear news from their sons, trying to
keep the farm up, and finding out what battle took the life of one of
their sons.
I
liked this book very much; it had a good storyline that kept you interested.
It made me realize what war was really like back then. It's hard to
think what war was like, not to mention the fact that you didn't have
ovens to cook supper, and you couldn't get food from a grocery store,
most of it mainly came from the farm, which took hard work to keep maintained.
One thing that bothered me while reading' was the slang that the author
used to make the characters seem they were real country. (Jennifer Randle)
Personally,
I enjoyed this book except for the grammar the author used. I found
it hard to understand, and I really think Irene Hunt should have translated
some of the grammar into modern English. This story seemed very realistic
to me, and I recommend it to anyone interested in Civil War historical
fiction. (Rachel Heuser)
I
enjoyed this book because it was an extremely superb source for further
learning of the Civil War, from the perspective of a regular farm boy.
The dialogue and detailed descriptions were overwhelming and sent shockwaves
of imagery and a true families hardships. This was obviously the best
historical fiction I have read in the brief lapse of my life. (Joey
Han)
I
thought that Across Five Aprils was very boring and slow at the beginning
but towards the middle it got interesting. It was very good for a civil
War project because it mentioned everything in it. I thought overall
it was an OK book but it had some predictable parts. (Danielle Hennis)
Amelia's
War
By
Ann Rinaldi
Summary
by Lauryn Dupree
Young
Amelia Grafton's family experienced war first hand. Amelia is a young
girl caught in the midst of the Civil War. She promises her father to
stay loyal to her friends. But as the war grows and becomes intense,
so do the feelings in her town. People who used to be unified are now
fighting against each other. The Grafton family had their own experiences
with the war and General Lee. Amelia has to deal with the war too close
to home.
I thought
that Amelia's War by Ann Rinaldi was a great historical fiction novel.
Ann Rinaldi does a great job of portraying the realism of the effects
of the Civil War. Amelia's War was not only a great book for this project,
but it was very interesting to read. (Lauryn Dupree)
Cezanne
Pinto : A Memoir
by
Mary Stolz
Summary
by Kendra Evans
This
Civil War novel speaks about the bravery of a young escaped slave name
Cezanne. Through his journey of escaping he learns what the real world
is like outside of his slave quarters. He escapes with his "aunt" on
the Underground Railroad for miles and travels to Canada for freedom.
Cezanne realizes he has a special gift in working with horses which
he takes up at a Canadian farm. Cezanne is also one of the few lucky
slaves that actually gets an education and learns proper grammar with
the help of his aunt. This novel tells the story of a young boy who
escapes from slavery without a mother into the open arms of freedom
in Canada.
This
novel is very interesting. I'm sure anyone who reads it will become
entangled in the web of this brave young boys journey to freedom. On
a scale form 1-10, its a 10! (Kendra Evans)
Cold
Mountain : A Novel
by
Charles Frazier
Summary
by Allison Barbour
Inman begins
his long and hard runaway home after experiencing a near death injury
at Petersburg. On his way home to Black Cove, on Cold Mountain, he encounters
many other people who are all affiliated with the Civil War one way
or another. Inman's love, Ada, is at home in Black Cove waiting and
hoping desperately for his return. She also is overcoming the many hardships
of the war. The war brought one good thing into her life, her new friend
Ruby. She and Ruby put their knowledge and skills together to pull through
the many obstacles that the war brings upon them.
Cold
Mountain, .by Charles Frazier was an
outstanding novel. The story portrays the effects of the civil war on
normal people in a great way. You would be surprised how well a soldier's
love story compliments historical facts of the Civil War.
A
Dangerous Promise : The Orphan Train...
by
Joan Lowery Nixon
Summary
by Meredith Brunson
A
Dangerous Promise .is a story about
a twelve year old boy who ran away from home to become a drummer with
the Union Army. What Mike imagines to be fun, ends up being a huge risk
for his life! Mike discovers what it is like to be treated as a man
and no less. When Mike is wounded during a battle, he is forced to go
behind enemy lines. Read this book to find out how Mike survives.
I thought
that this was an awesome book. It is really short, and easy to read.
It really taught me a lot. I highly recommend this book.
Dear
Ellen Bee: A Civil War Scrapbook of...
by
Mary E. Lyons and Murial M. Branch
Summary
by Sara Mayo
This book
was about two civil war spies, Elizabeth Van Lew (Miss Bet) and Mary
Elizabeth Bowser (Liza). It started in 1856, when hostility was starting
to grow between the North and South. Liza was a girl being sent off
to Philadelphia from Richmond, by her previous owner Miss Bet. Miss
Bet was an abolitionist. She didn't want to keep slaves so when her
father died she freed them all. While Liza was in Richmond she met Wilson
Bowser and they soon married. After Liza was married and Wilson went
off to fight for a black regiment, Miss Bet wrote Liza a very serious
and dangerous letter. This letter asked Liza to become a spy. Miss Bet
asked Liza to live and work in the southern White House. Going to the
White House would make her one of the most famous and effective spies
ever. Spying for Miss Bet changed Liza, and put her name in history
forever.
I would
rate my book very high, because I really enjoyed it. (Sara Mayo)
Dog
Jack
by
Florence Biros
Summary
by Ellis Williams
I read
the book "Dog Jack" which is a very good book. I enjoyed reading it
because it kept me interested and I continually wanted to read it. No
other book has kept me reading whenever I had the free time. It shows
how a relationship can form between anybody. Jed made many friends in
this book including a slaveowners son, a dog he named Jack, a fireman
named Matt, and a Chaplain named Chaplain Stewart.
This
book was incredible and I would recommend it to everybody looking for
a Civil War book. (Ellis Williams)
by
Mary Francis Shura
Summary
By Jessica Chester
Annie Ethridge,
was just a young girl at the age of sixteen years old. She was enlisted, prepared to sew and cook
but hoping to be a nurse. Annie
was one of eighteen women to enlist from her home state of Michigan. When the army of the Potomac headed into battle,
the other seventeen ran. Annie
remained to stay and face whatever was thrown at her. Annie became known for her courage and dedication to her duty.
Never fearing the guns, Annie risked her life to nurse the wounded
soldiers. Annie was very well
liked by the men of her regiment. They were illiterate so she wrote to home for
them.
Gentle
Annie. is a very good book to read if you are interested
in Civil War medicine. It is
a moving and memorable account of the brave young girl who served as
a nurse on the front line of almost every major battle fought. (Jessica Chester)
I absolutely
loved Gentle Annie. It was one of the best books I have ever read. In
fact it was so wonderful I read the whole thing in one day because once
I started I couldn't stop reading. I highly recommend it for all girls
my age. To be honest it is a good book but definitely not one a guy
would like to read. The book was so sweet and very educational. There
wasn't a single thing I found wrong with it! (Chelsea Barbee)
Gods
and Generals
by
Jeff Shaara
Reviewed
by Jason Feuerstein
This
book was very good and incredibly accurate, with a lot of detail. The
book was like listening to one of Mrs. Newmark's lectures in class with
all excitement and reality in far more depth. The war is so bloody and
amazing. This book really made me think what these men had to go through
and the decisions they had to make. This book was incredible and I recommend
it to readers in 8th grade and higher.
Gone
With the Wind
by
Margaret Mitchell
Summary
by Elizabeth Bogardus
This
exciting historical novel by Margaret Mitchell is a great view of what
effects the Civil War had on civilians. During the course of the war,
Scarlett loses her pleasure filled life, witnesses the burning of Atlanta,
and lives through the reconstruction of Georgia. With the loss of battles,
Scarlett looses many loved ones including her husband, parents and friends.
Struggling to survive in a new world, Scarlett becomes a business women
and marries a man to save her homeland and find comfort. This novel
shows what a change the South went through during and after the war.
This novel shows the Civil War southern style.
Margaret
Mitchell's Gone With the Wind is an extraordinary piece of work. I loved
her use of words to display the scenes of the Civil War. This book is
an exciting novel to read. (Elizabeth Bogardus)
1863
A House Divided : A Novel of the...
by
Elizabeth Massie
Summary
by Jillian Johnson
Stephen
and Susanne's parents were killed by a house fire and moved in with
their Aunt Darcey and Uncle Silas. When the Civil War starts their other
Aunt and their cousin, Simon, move in with them. Stephen grows restless
and enlists in the Union Army. Without him Susanne was alone and "tortured".
When the war moves to their town, Gettysburg, Susanne and Stephen find
each other in a surprising twist.
I really
enjoyed the book A House Divided because it was realistic and had a
little gore but not a lot. It started off slow but progressively gets
faster. I loved the twist at the end! (Jillian Johnson)
In
My Father's House
by
Ann Rinaldi
Summary
by Tracey Howard
This
book was about a young girl named Oscie Mason whose father had died
before the Civil War. She tells about her mother remarriage to Will
McLean. Before the war started her stepfather invited the United States
Army to live in their front yard, they left before the battle of first
Bull Run. Mr. McLean then relocated the family to a small town, in upper
Virginia. Oscie didn't care for Mr. McLean, because she felt that he
would be the one to fill her father shoes. Times were hard and people
were starving to death, all over this small town. Mr. McLean had to
do find a way to provide for his family. He was a merchant and scavenged
food to feed his family and for profit. The remaining food was sold
at a high cost. This was call "speculating". People who did speculating
were strongly disliked. One time he sent food to this family, the people
in the streets wanted to attack her, and their nigra slave. But, as
time pasted, she grew to care deeply for Will McLean, her stepfather.
The most famous part of the story was the, signing of the peace agreement.
This story is known by every American historian because they had the
chance of seeing the start of the war, and seeing the ending of it.
I really
enjoyed this book, it was a true story and I love read material written
by Ann Rinaldi. Historical fiction is the best kind of book to read.
(Tracey Howard)
I really
enjoyed this book. I thought the book was a great coming of age story
that just happens to take place during the most important war in our
history. I would recommend this book to any teenager or adult who loves
a good story. (Brittany Norris)
Jayhawker
By
Patricia Beatty
Summary by Ben Dattilo
Elijah
Tulley is a fifteen-year-old Jayhawker, or abolitionist from Kansas.
He loves going to Missouri with his father to free slaves. When his
father is killed on a raid, Elijah resolves to avenge his father's death.
E gets a chance to when he is asked to be a spy for the Jayhawkers.
He is sent to Missouri to spy on the Bushwhackers, the slavery supporting
group. Elijah soon realizes that his job is extremely dangerous when
he is almost caught. Shall he stay, or is he endangering his family?
This
book was an OK book. Even though it was suspenseful, the plot could
have been better, and more action could of taken place. (Ben Dattilo)
I
of course thought it was a great book, and it surprised me in the way
that I knew it was intended for a younger audience (from the size of
the font), yet I still enjoyed it. A complex array of characters and
an odd way of writing, by Patricia Beatty, that I am not accustumed
to make it such a fine book. (Skyler Simmons)
The
Killer Angels
by
Michael Shaara
Summary
by David Li
It's
back in 1863, one of the most important battles of the Civil War is
about to start, and everybody is wondering what the outcome of Gettysburg
will be. Robert E. Lee, John Buford, James Longstreet, Joshua Lawrence
Chamberlain, and other Civil War veterans share their opinion and feelings
on the next battle about to arise.
I think
that The Killer Angels is a very good book. It shows the different possible
views for a variety of different generals, both union and confederates.
Michael Shaara puts in great detail, focusing on Gettysburg. (David
Li)
The
Last Full Measure
by
Jeff Shaara
|Summary
by Sam Behrend
The Last
Full Measure. was a great re-telling
of the last two years of the Civil War. You get to see the war from
the fictional point of view of Lee, Grant and other generals. From the
Wilderness to Lee's surrender, the generals fight to win.
I loved
this book because it really made the generals seem down-to-earth and
made the battles interesting and worth reading about. (Sam Behrend)
Magnolia
Dreams
By
Virginia Gaffney
Summary
by Patrice Graham
This book talks about the lives
of many different people and how the Civil War affects them. The main
character, Carrie, cares for the wounded from all sides of the war black
or white. This causes her to be the target of a lot of tension. Rose,
is an ex-slave who is now a teacher at her husband's base military camp.
This is a great book for people
who are partial to inspirational novels. It gives you many different
ways that the war affected different people. I highly suggest this for
getting a wide array of how the war affected people.
Red
Badge of Courage
by
Stephen Crane
Summary by Bernie Shieh
The
Red Badge of Courage is a book about a young boy, Henry, who enlists
in the Union army. He becomes eager to fight and thinks war is all about
adventure. Well it turns out he is wrong. He realizes the grim reality
of war and how he made a big mistake to enroll in the army. Twice, he
finds himself running away from the fear of being killed. He later returns
to the army and continues fighting, every single day maturing and growing
from experiences of bloodshed and death. Henry learns a lot during the
war, the difference between life and death and what it takes to be a
man.
I
loved the book's context on the Civil War, but the book never had any
of the Battles or Generals listed. So on the Social Studies project
I was stuck doing the medical procedures during the war. The only choice
for the Language Arts project was how a soldier is affected by war,
and that is not very fun. The Red Badge of Courage is more of a personal
book. Overall this book is the kind of book you would read during AR,
not doing a Social Studies, or Language Arts project. (Erik Minges)
I think
that the Red Badge of Courage had a good idea for a book. I do, however,
think that it is a poorly written book. I think that some passages are
wordy and inept. As you, Mrs.Newmark, stated good writing is crisp and
to the point. I understand that this book is considered to be an American
classic, and I must admit the battle depictions, at times, can be terrific
with many subplots interwoven in Henry's (the main character)thought
process. However, overall, the book is not a good one when it comes
to doing the project. For instance, there is no mention of the battle's
name, or any generals, or any impact it had on the war. I do not recommend
this book, it isn't exciting or even that comprehensible. (Brenden Whitted)
Overall
I think this book was pretty good, but it's not exactly the best piece
of Civil War literature there is. For one thing, it is extremely vague
and sometimes even confusing. I would not recommend reading this book
for your L/A or S.S. project. It only mentions one specific battle throughout
the whole novel. Overall, it is a good book to read during your free
time, but definitely not a good book to do your project on. (Bernie
Shieh)
The
Red Cap
by
G. Clifton Wisler
Summary
by Hira Hasnain
Red
Cap .is a great book, about a young
boy named Ransom Powell. Ransom Powell is a thirteen-year-old boy, who
lives in Maryland, a Union state. He is very short for his age, and
feels left out when all of his friends sign up for the army, and he
is not allowed to, due to his short height. So, he runs away from home,
and secretly signs up as a drummer boy, by lying about his age. He feels
very excited that he will be defending his country, but soon he learns
the reality of war. He and his regiment are caught and taken to Andersonville
Prison. Here, Ransom learns that war isn't as exciting as he had thought.
Everyday someone from his regiment dies due to disease or scurvy, and
soon Ransom is the only one left from the 20 people in his regiment.
This
is a great book and has very detailed descriptions that are very realistic
and true. If you want to do a social studies project on Andersonville
Prison, this is a very good book to read.
Rifles
for Watie
By
Harold Keith
Summary by Priyanko Paul
Rifles
for Watie is an excellent choice for your Civil War paper. The book
involves a Kansan named Jeff Bussey's role in the Civil War. Jeff joins
up as a boy who dreams of glory in the Kansas militia. As time passes
and he loses friends, he realizes the real face of war, and becomes
a little less enthusiastic about his next battle. After committing an
act of bravery in battle, he is presented by his commander with a medal
of honor. His commander also asks him to be a scout, or a spy behind
enemy lines. By the end of the war, Jeff discovers and infiltrates the
enemy camp, and realizes that the Rebels he fought against are men and
boys just like him. Bussey leaves the army with a greater understanding
of war in general, and so will you if you read Rifles for Watie.
Rifles
for Watie is an excellent choice for any student who wants to learn
about the soldier's lot in the Civil War. This book is great for those
who want a book that's not too long, not too short, but of a length
that engages the attention. For a view of both the Confederate and the
Union Army, Rifles for Watie is the ideal book. This book talks not
about the faults of generals or commanders, but of the bravery of individual
men who fight for their views. (Priyanko Paul)
This
book was ok for the most part. It started off slow and about a little
over halfway through is when it got interesting. You should read this
book if you are looking for a better perspective of everything going
on during the war. If you like fighting and gore you will not find it
in this book. One more thing - if you are a slow reader you better start
early! (Ashley Murr)
This
is a book any 8th grader can relate to in some way. I highly recommend
this book to read even if it's just for fun. You'll laugh, you'll cry,
you'll even fall in love with this book and its characters. (Jacob Abdelkhaleq)
by
Elisa Carbone
Summary by Divya Majmudar
This book
is about a girl named Ann Maria Weems. Ann Maria is a slave in Maryland
owned by Mr. Price. Her father is a free man and wants to buy freedom
for the whole family. He talks to a committee called the Vigilance committee,
which is an anti-slavery group, and they agree to buy the Weems family
and set them free. Everything goes smoothly until Mr. Price refuses
to sell Ann. So Ann is separated from her family and moves to another
town. In this town she makes new friends, and meets the man of her dreams.
The Vigilance Committee keeps trying to buy her freedom, but at the
end decides to help her escape North to Canada using the Underground
Railroad. Ann has to leave everyone that she loves behind and join a
dangerous path to gain her freedom.
I think
this book was very true and it was a good book. It is a book that will
make you realize the cruelty of slavery and Ms. Carbone does a wonderful
job of describing Ann’s emotions and experience. (Divya Majmudar)
Soldier's
Heart
by
Gary Paulsen
Summary
by Alicia Mauney
My
Civil War novel book was called "Soldier's Heart" by Gary Paulsen. It
was about a boy whose name is Charley Goodard, who is from Montana.
He is only fifteen years old when he signs up for the war, because he
felt that he was a man. When he and his friend went to their first battle,
Charley saw his friend, Massey, get decapitated by a cannon. Charley
then starts to believe that War isn't all cracked up as he thought it
was, and wanted to go home. I am not going to tell you anymore about
the book, or I will give it all away.
Oh,
by the way, I thought that "Soldiers Heart" was a good book. (Alicia
Mauney)
Steal
Away Home
by Lois Ruby
Summary
by Shawnte Moore
Imagine
doing ordinary house work on a hot afternoon, when all of a sudden the
unexpected happens....you find a human skeleton!! This is exactly what
happened to Dana Shannon. When she moved into her 135 year old house,
she knew that things were going to be weird, but she never expected
to find a hidden room and a skeleton. Using a diary dated back to the
civil war, Dana slowly begins to solve the mystery of the skeleton in
her house. As she researches, she discovers that the skeleton was once
a conductor and former slave of the underground railroad, and that her
house was a station. This book tells the story of two families in two
different times and how they lived and affected one another.
I really enjoyed this book because its so entertaining and educational
at the same time. Lois Ruby really added to the excitement by flipping
scenes in each chapter. One chapter would be Dana's time and one chapter
would be 135 years before. (Shawnte Moore)
A
Voice from the Border
by
Pamela Smith Hill
Summary
by Amanda Northup
This
book illustrates the life of a young Confederate girl, Reeves, during
the Civil War. When her father goes to war, the family falls apart.
A Union woman moves in with Reeves' family and sends the North the 'inside
story' of a Confederate family. She publishes Reeves' poetry under her
name, and creates horrible stories that twisted the truth about the
family. To the North, they appear to be inhumane, slave-owning people.
Then the war moves into their home and they are forced to leave all
of their possessions. Reeves learns that father is killed, and his will
releases all of their slaves. The family struggles to maintain their
dignity throughout the rest of the book.
The
book was well written, but I felt that the reading level was lower than
expected of our age level. If you're looking for a book that is short
and simple, this is the one. Also, there are few references to actual
events, which wasn't as helpful as I thought it would be for either
of the projects. (Amanda Northup)
Who
Comes With Cannons?
by Patricia Beatty
Summary by Rachel Northeim
This
novel is about a Northern Quaker girl who is sent to live with her aunt
and uncle in North Carolina. She works a station on the Underground
Rail Road and eventually rides it herself when she goes to New York
to rescue a cousin from the Elmira POW camp. There are many battle references
including the Battle of Bentonville which the main character lives through.
She meets Abraham and Mary Lincoln and the famous abolitionist, Frederick
Douglas. Other topics for this book could include deserters, because
one of her cousins leaves the Confederate army, and Medicine, because
a doctor treats the main character's uncle's concussion.
This
is an easy and quick reading book that has lots of topics to choose
from. It also works fairly well for the Language essay topics. Who Comes
With Cannons? works well for this project, but overall it's not a particularly
interesting book. (Rachel Northeim)
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