Customer Reviews

Ghost Cadet (Apple Paperbacks)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Picture soldiers marching in from all directions with large guns, or in this case muskets. Would you want to be there? Would you want everything you're used to vanishing? Well at least you have nothing keeping you there. Benjy, the main character in Elaine Marie Alpfins historical fiction book, Ghost Cadet, was lead into a repetition of the battle of New Market searching for a friend. Benjy comes to his conclusion by deciding to help Hugh and make a ghostly friend.
Hugh, a soldier who died, has become friends with Benjy. Hugh haunts the battlefield in search of a goldwatch that he lost when he died. He leads Benjy into the repetition of this battle hoping to rediscover the watch. Will they suceed?
As they enter the battlefield Hugh leaves to find his regiment and also leaves Benjy to find that all modern things vanish. Soon the grass sways and ghost soldiers come marching in from all directions. Guns fire and soon Hugh falls down dead (again). Trembling while watching his ghostly friend die, will Benjy see the watch?
Hugh went to VMI college long ago. During this battle, Hugh lost his family's pride, a very old gold watch. Now, will Benjy rediscover it and make a new friend? Most important will he get it restored to Hughs family in time for Hugh to join his ghostly regiment in the parade?
6th Grade student ay OHES

Ghost Cadet
Imagine a fifteen-year-old cadet, struggling to survive on a battlefield. He's just barely alive when he hides his grandfather's watch in a hole. Hugh is now dead, but everyday he struggles to find his watch. In this book, Ghost Cadet, by Elaine Marie Alphin, brings back a real story and gives Hugh an adventure.
Hugh's hope turns all around when he meets Benjy. Not only is he a human (which means he can dig for things and do normal things you and I can do), he is willing to help Hugh. Because of Benjy, they don't only become friends, but they might find the watch before the ceremony in which the cadets come together in pride for serving get called (As you can see Hugh would feel dishonored without a relative having the watch. That's one reason why he needs the watch before the ceremony.) .
Hugh makes Benjy search everyday on the New Market Battlefield. Hugh even makes Benjy dig by old buildings on the field. As Hugh and Benjy get closer to the day of the ceremony, Hugh tells Benjy about the BATTLE!
Do you think that Hugh's watch will be found in time? Read Ghost Cadet, and I guarantee you'll find out!

6th grade student from OHES

I found this book to be very entertaining. A friend of mine uses this book in her elementary school classes. The students find the story very absorbing and learn about history, too. I'm a little surprised at the weak reviews given to this book. Enriching reading for adults and children ! If you've never visited the Shenandoah Valley or the Virginia Military Institute, this book will inspire you to do so.

After reading this book I was only momentarily puzzled by the very sour reviews included in this website. After all, here is a work of juvenile fiction which, in a highly readible presentation, chooses to view the Civil War through the eyes of Southerners. What could be more threatening to a publishing establishment dominated almost exclusively by Northern liberals? Readers would be well advised to consider this -- and then make up their own minds as they read Alphin's fine offering.

Ms. Alphin has really put this battle into perspective and told the facts without embellishing on the participation of her main character (Cadet Private William Hugh McDowell of the VMI) in the New Market battle. Just after reading this, I bought a copy and read William Davis' account The Battle Of New Market. Comparing the two, not only has the author told the real story but still emphasized the importance of this battle from the perspective that a grade school reader can understand. Her book has opened up this medium-sized yet very influential conflict to a lot of people and given a large audience of readers a window into that period of the Civil War. Her internal conflicts that occur within the other of her two main characters draw away from the main event, but the excitement from the battle can be overwhelmed by nothing.

Hey,
I had to choose a book to read for a test in school and I've always been interested in the Civil War so I picked this book.I LOVED IT!!!It was really cool.I'm even going to New Market this summer to find out more about the battle.It kept me interested.I never knew what was gonna happen!

=)Ryleigh

This was my absolute favorite book in 5th grade. It was the best as far as I was concerned. It had a shy, bookish boy that reminded me of myself and had a quick, interesting plot that keeps the story moving. Up until I read this book I had a simplistic view that North was good, South was bad this book tore down those views and made me realize that both sides had good people, making the war tragic for me when before it had simply been a black and white good and evil concept.

This was a very good book! There were interesting characters, historical fiction and easy to read. Everything you need for a good 5th grade book...especially a boy.

I thought that the story was good. IT had a good topic, because I happen to like War stories myself. I thought it was different from the ghost part though, put that is my opinion. It is a good history book and im glad I picked it as my book report. I encourage others to read this book as well.

This is a great story that I read in the [...] It is highly accurate historically in parts. It tells the story of Benjy Stark, an 11 year old at his grandmother's house in New Market, Virginia. Here, he meets the ghost of a young Confederate soldier named William Hugh McDowell. He must find his family's heirloom, a pocketwatch. As it turns out, there was a Confederate soldier named William Hugh McDowell from the Virginia Military Institute (VMI). He was killed at the battle of New Market. HIs pocketwatch, as well as his Bible, was never found. A great read for anyone.