A Civil War Drummer Boy: The Diary of William Bircher, 1861-1865 (Diaries, Letters, and Memoirs) [Library Binding]

William Bircher (Author), Shelley Swanson Sateren (Editor), Suzanne L. Bunkers (Foreword)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up | Series: Diaries, Letters, and Memoirs

Excerpts from the diary of William Bircher, a fifteen-year-old Minnesotan who was a drummer during the Civil War. Supplemented by sidebars, activities, and a timeline of the era.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-6-These selected excerpts from diaries capture the daily lives, events, and emotions of three young people who lived through the turbulent years before or during the Civil War. Introductory overviews are followed by portions of the individuals' diaries, interspersed with informative sidebars and insets, sepia-tinted photographs and full-color reproductions, a craft or cooking activity, and an abbreviated time line. Younger readers will identify most closely with Berry's words in A Confederate Girl because of her age (10) and writing style. Bircher's diary chronicles his life at the age of 15 while Forten's journal begins when she was 16. Whether chosen for assignment use or personal reading, these volumes will hold the interest of youngsters and help them understand and identify with the events, places, and people in history. Additionally, they will give students experience with primary-source materials and expand the portraits of young people as presented in such works as Jim Murphy's The Boys' War (Clarion, 1990) and Candice Ransom's Children of the Civil War (Carolrhoda, 1998).
Janie Schomberg, Leal Elementary School, Urbana, IL
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Library Binding: 32 pages
• Publisher: Blue Earth Books (September 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0736803483
• ISBN-13: 978-0736803489
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.8 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,069,071 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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