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unojaden's review against another edition
I read this in 7th grade reading (I didn’t pick it), and I can’t remember a whole lot about it, but I’m pretty sure I got bored of it very quickly
teaguemeyer's review against another edition
5.0
I've read this aloud to boys on two occasions now ages ranging 10-13. They all like it. One listened at age 10, read it himself, then listened again at age 13 because he liked it so much. I think it is a beautiful read aloud. It makes the civil war period come alive. It helps the reader wrestle with war and hard questions. It celebrates reconciliation. It mourns discord.
nicolel147's review against another edition
4.0
Read this with my 9th graders having never read before. Pretty good for a Civil War perspective.
ehays84's review against another edition
4.0
I read this back in 5th grade, when we did a massive unit on the Civil War. In reading it again, I didn't remember all of the details, but some, such as the family being from a border region, someone poisoning their well, someone deserving comeuppance, (spoilers coming) one family member deserting, one fighting for the South, and one being seriously wounded I did remember.
The reason I read this again is that I found out recently that I will, in addition to teaching my normal 6th, 7th, and 8th grade Social Studies, be teaching 8th grade English-Language Arts. I have decided to run the class like an American Studies class where ELA supports the chronological units we are doing in 8th grade US History II. That means we start the year with the Civil War, and this will be the novel that my 8th graders will read. I was pretty sure before the re-read, but reading it again was a good confirmation.
This book is not only a great window into the reality of the CW time period for young students, but also a well-drawn family story. To see what the war years do to young Jethro, both in terms of helping him grow and mature in a positive way and making him sad and cynical beyond his years, is a great way for a young student to envision themselves back in that terrible and important time period in our nation's history.
My main complaint, which is often my complaint, is that the ending of the book felt too rushed. I would have liked to see a more steady view of the final year of the war as well as the aftermath of the Lincoln assassination. I would have liked the book to have gone on at least to the point of brother John coming home, and have at least some sort of resolution of brother Bill, who fought for the South. Bill's role, and his close relationship with Jethro, make the early part of the book because of how well she teases out the complexities of the choices that led to the CW in the first place rather than painting everything as obviously good vs. evil, so to basically just leave that thread dangling doesn't feel right. Furthermore, she does a nice job of setting up the contrast between the Jethro who is now the breadwinner for the family and the previous Jethro who wanted to pursue his education. Rather than letting that develop more, she just resolves it in one page right at the end of the book when Shad comes home and tells him that he will continue his studies. There just wasn't enough time at the end of this book for some of her good work to come to full fruition. This is often the case in books, I believe.
Anyway, I will be reading more of the books that I will have my students read this year, so look out for those reviews. It threw a bit of a monkey wrench in some of my reading plans, but several of these books are ones I had wanted to read anyway at some point, and I am sure I will like everything I read anyway. Plus, most all of them are under 200 pages, and I can polish them off quickly.
The reason I read this again is that I found out recently that I will, in addition to teaching my normal 6th, 7th, and 8th grade Social Studies, be teaching 8th grade English-Language Arts. I have decided to run the class like an American Studies class where ELA supports the chronological units we are doing in 8th grade US History II. That means we start the year with the Civil War, and this will be the novel that my 8th graders will read. I was pretty sure before the re-read, but reading it again was a good confirmation.
This book is not only a great window into the reality of the CW time period for young students, but also a well-drawn family story. To see what the war years do to young Jethro, both in terms of helping him grow and mature in a positive way and making him sad and cynical beyond his years, is a great way for a young student to envision themselves back in that terrible and important time period in our nation's history.
My main complaint, which is often my complaint, is that the ending of the book felt too rushed. I would have liked to see a more steady view of the final year of the war as well as the aftermath of the Lincoln assassination. I would have liked the book to have gone on at least to the point of brother John coming home, and have at least some sort of resolution of brother Bill, who fought for the South. Bill's role, and his close relationship with Jethro, make the early part of the book because of how well she teases out the complexities of the choices that led to the CW in the first place rather than painting everything as obviously good vs. evil, so to basically just leave that thread dangling doesn't feel right. Furthermore, she does a nice job of setting up the contrast between the Jethro who is now the breadwinner for the family and the previous Jethro who wanted to pursue his education. Rather than letting that develop more, she just resolves it in one page right at the end of the book when Shad comes home and tells him that he will continue his studies. There just wasn't enough time at the end of this book for some of her good work to come to full fruition. This is often the case in books, I believe.
Anyway, I will be reading more of the books that I will have my students read this year, so look out for those reviews. It threw a bit of a monkey wrench in some of my reading plans, but several of these books are ones I had wanted to read anyway at some point, and I am sure I will like everything I read anyway. Plus, most all of them are under 200 pages, and I can polish them off quickly.
sdmomof5boys's review against another edition
4.0
Read this with my son that is studying the Civil War. What a great story to understand better the events and feelings from the perspective of a family affected by them. I couldn't help but think of my own growing sons as I read about Jethro and the responsibilities thrown on him during the war.
jonahbarnes's review against another edition
Good. Lots to talk about if reading to your kids.
annelawson's review against another edition
4.0
I'm re-reading the novels I enjoyed as a child, and this is one of the best. A great perspective on the Civil War, bringing up all the historical facts as well as emotional family issues surrounding the War. There is much to be enjoyed even if you are not a Civil War buff. The family is close-knit and must deal with the effects of having two sons fighting on different sides. The community is close and rallies together. Unlike many novels, in this one people ponder issues of character and almost always end up calmly doing the right thing. They value education that comes from books, letters, newspapers and maps. They wonder about what President Lincoln is doing but they respect him, write to him and consider him a friend. There is much to be learned from the Creightons.... I don't understand the negative reviews.
ascaris75's review against another edition
4.0
I thought the book was really strong for the first 1/2-3/4, but it lost steam toward the end. It did feel realistic to what I imagine living at that time may have felt (which would figure since much of the narrative is based off of stories the author's grandfather would tell about growing up during the war). Definitely worth reading, and I'm hopeful my kids will read it as well.
marisamoo's review against another edition
2.0
i should rate it higher i should it's a classic
BUT IT WAS LIKE
ok after reading exciting thrillers um no
BUT IT WAS LIKE
ok after reading exciting thrillers um no
molly_dettmann's review against another edition
2.0
This book was so boring and slow and had a hard to read dialect that was probably easier for young readers in 1964 to follow than one would be. Lots of exposition. It does skirt around the “no side was right” and “the reasons for the war were complicated” especially with one brother becoming a Confederate sympathizer but for when it was written it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be in terms of glossing over the reason for the way being slavery and all that. Lots of Lincoln love towards the end. Mostly this was just so terribly boring I woke up early to read it and am now lulled back to sleep the rest of my morning.