1863: A House Divided: A Novel of the Civil War (Young Founders) [Paperback]

Elizabeth Massie (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 15, 2000 | Series: Young Founders (Book 4)

America as seen through the eyes of its young founders.

By April 1863 the Civil War has been raging for two years. On their sleepy farm in Gettysburg, sixteen-year-old twins Susanne and Stephen are alarmed by news that Confederate forces under General Robert E. Lee are threatening to invade the North for a strike at Washington, D.C.! Rebel forces in the Union capital? Is it possible?

Bored with farm life and itching for action, Stephen runs away to join the beleaguered Army of the Potomac to fight Johnny Reb. Susanne decides to join a nursing outfit to assist the Union's wounded. Sparated by war, death, and disease, the twins maintain a correspondence. But little do they know that Union and Confederate forces are converging on a small town for a battle that may determine the outcome of the war--a town called Gettysburg.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"It is an eye-opener to read about free blacks (as they were called then) fighting on both sides of the Revolutionary War, and as a librarian I welcome this." - Kliatt on 1776: Son of Liberty

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Elizabeth Massie is author of numerous novels for young adult, middle grade, and primary readers. These include the Young Founders series, the Daughters of Liberty trilogy, The Great Chicago Fire: 1871, The Fight for Right, Read All About It, and more. A former middle school teacher, Elizabeth enjoys exploring both important and little-known moments in American history and presenting those moments to readers through the struggles and triumphs of her characters.  
     Elizabeth lives in the historic Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, very close to where her family moved in 1747. She says, "Every place is historic. Well-known or not, every town, city, and county has its own compelling tale of people and events, a story that plays a part in the continuing story that is our history."  

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 13 and up
  
• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Tor Teen; 1st edition (September 15, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812590953
• ISBN-13: 978-0812590951
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,255,299 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well-Written and Well-Researched, February 12, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: 1863: A House Divided: A Novel of the Civil War (Young Founders) (Paperback)

...We are both teachers and have enjoyed the Young Founders series, which suit middle school and high school readers covering American history. A House Divided is appealing in its fast pacing, sympathetic characters, drama, and detailed glimpse at one moment during the Civil War. Gettysburg, like hundreds of other busy but ordinary little towns in the mid-1800's, was a colletion of homes, businesses, and churches, linked to the outside world by trade and train, until the war marched right through it. Much can be learned through well-written and well-researched historical fiction; it can bring events to life and engage readers, who may then develop an interest in history that might not have been there. I recommend this novel for classrooms as well as libraries.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good book, September 14, 2010

By 

Court - See all my reviews

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This review is from: A House Divided-A Novel of the Civil War (Young Founders) (Mass Market Paperback)

Both my son (12) and I liked this book. It is a good protrayal of war. It doesn't glamorize it. You actually get a sense of the fear the young man feels when in battle. Would recommend this story.

5 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brings the First Permanent English Settlement to Life, January 31, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: 1863: A House Divided: A Novel of the Civil War (Young Founders) (Paperback)

I was so pleased to find this book! As a teacher, I found it compliments our study of Jamestown and the infancy of what would, in almost two hundred more years, become the United States perfectly. Although a fictional account of one of the boys who did, in fact, come over with the first three ships, it includes actual events faced by actual historical figures...Smith, Archer, Newport, Radcliffe, Pocahontas, and more. The book is well-researched and engaging, with lively dialogue that hints of old-style conversation, excellent detail, action, and adventure. My seventh grade students found the story fascinating as we read it over a period of two weeks. They were as interested in this as much they would be any well-told tale. They learned about the hardships, the struggles and occasional friendships the English forged with the Native Americans, the reasons for the English settlement and the fear of the Spanish, the terrible death of Archer and the wounding of Smith, the sickness and starvation in the "Starving Time", the desperation of the settlers -- all true events -- while feeling an empathy for teenaged Nat and his efforts to become a man in a foreign, difficult world. Some of my students even asked if there was a sequel to this book, so I directed them to history books that picked up after 1609, and they dove right in! What a way to get kids hooked on history! I highly recommend this for teachers of early American history or students who are looking for an teen adventure set in American history!