- Hardcover: 224 pages
- Publisher: Clarion Books; None edition (April 21 2003)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0618181903
- ISBN-13: 978-0618181902
- Product Dimensions: 23.8 x 16 x 2.2 cm
- Shipping Weight: 454 g
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,775,457 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
Product Details |
Product Description
From School Library Journal
Grade 5-8-Through the eyes of Haswell Colby Magruder, readers see and experience the horrors of the Civil War. Set in Shenandoah, VA, the story opens as the 13-year-old agrees to hide a wounded Confederate soldier. The Yankees' discovery of the young man on the Magruder farm and their subsequent retaliation starts a sequence of events that culminates with Haswell's escape with his seven-year-old sister, and his later solo journey in search of his older brother, who is fighting in the war. Although the main characters are from the South, Hahn succeeds in writing about the horrors of war without really taking sides. War is the villain here, and people from both sides are its victims. This is a wonderfully written story peopled by believable, three-dimensional characters who exhibit fear, courage, love, hate, compassion, prejudice, and understanding. The drama of the Civil War and the fine storytelling and characterization hook readers from the outset. As in Promises to the Dead (Clarion, 2000), Hahn deals here with the exercise of compassion in the face of danger. This selection is an excellent choice to add to other historical fiction on the Civil War such as Gary Paulsen's Soldier's Heart (Delacorte, 1998) and Ann Rinaldi's Amelia's War (Scholastic, 1999).
Renee Steinberg, Fieldstone Middle School, Montvale, NJ
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Renee Steinberg, Fieldstone Middle School, Montvale, NJ
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Gr. 6-9. Like Hahn's Stepping on the Cracks (1991), this stirring novel tells a war story through the eyes of a young person. It's the end of the Civil War in Northern Virginia, and 13-year-old Haswell Magruder suddenly finds himself the head of his family. After Haswell hides a wounded Confederate soldier, the Yankees attack Haswell's mother and destroy the farm. The boy and his younger sister escape. Haswell leaves his sister with relatives in town and rides across the war-torn countryside in search of his wounded older brother. Hahn brings readers up close to the slaughter on both sides, presenting a picture of ordinary men who are not at all sure why they are fighting. It's odd that slavery is barely mentioned despite the huge cast. The action is fast and furious, and kids will be caught up in the story of soldiers and civilians and the horror of "simply following orders." Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items. |
Customer Reviews
|
There are no customer reviews yet on Amazon.ca
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
3.0 out of 5 stars (1 customer review)
0 of 3 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
The War's Journey, Sep 5 2009
By Ruth Thompson "Weaver of Tales" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Hear the Wind Blow (Hardcover)
Haswell and his sister Rachel are left on their own because he tried to help a Confederate soldier. He sees that Mary is safe with relatives and he tries to find his brother Avery who is with the Confederate Army. Avery is a bag of bones with no shoes and wants to return home. This is a good story of all the trials that Haswell has with his journey through the Civil War. By the Author of "The Bluegrass Dream" and "Natchez Above the River"
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
