Lightning Time [Hardcover]

Douglas Rees (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 11 and up

"We are likely all," John Brown says evenly to the handful of men armed and waiting at the Maryland farmhouse in October 1859. They are astonished to hear him, especially young Theodore Worth, who has believed for months that there must be thousands of raiders about to assemble. As much as anyone there, Theodore believes in the cause of freeing the slaves that motivates Brown, but suddenly the planned attack on the Harper's Ferry arsenal seems foolhardy, suicidal. Does Brown, after all, know what he's doing? Theodore's two-year journey from Quaker son and dutiful Boston schoolboy to his role as one of Brown's Invisibles is narrated tautly in the boy's own voice. His relationships with family, with the compelling but quixotic Brown, with pre-Civil War history all have the dimensionality of life.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In the late 1850s, a teenage boy runs away from his Quaker home to join up with John Brown and is recruited for the raid on Harpers Ferry. Ages 10-14.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 6-8. When 14-year-old Theodore first encounters John Brown, the charismatic abolitionist's rhetoric appeals to him. While his Quaker mother is a pacifist and his father is not concerned with the unrest in other states, Theodore is ripe for following a man of action. He steals away to join Brown's volunteer militia. When he and the other fighters learn that they are to seize the weapons at Harper's Ferry and flee to the mountains to establish a republic to which runaway slaves will flock, they are stunned. Theodore is torn about whether to continue on with his mentor, but in the end decides to stay and fight. Brown tells him that he will be fighting with lightning: relaying telegraph messages to Brown and sending false messages to their enemies during the raid. When the attack fails, Theodore is arrested; in a clever ending, he is rescued by his father and a friend. This historically accurate, richly detailed novel perfectly captures Theodore's angst as he stands on the verge of manhood, yearning to act, but lacking experience in decision-making. An excellent first effort that is a welcome change from the recent boy-turns-Civil War drummer/musician stories such as G. Clifton Wisler's The Drummer Boy of Vicksburg (1997) and Mr. Lincoln's Drummer (1995, both Lodestar), and Joan Nixon's A Dangerous Promise (Delacorte, 1994).?Peggy Morgan, The Library Network, Southgate, MI
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 11 and up
  
• Hardcover: 172 pages
• Publisher: DK CHILDREN (September 15, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0789424584
• ISBN-13: 978-0789424587
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,849,576 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Praise for Lighting Time, March 31, 1998

By 

Armand D Sanchez - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lightning Time (Hardcover)

This book, simply put, was enjoyable for two reasons. One, it was simple reading. Never does the author attempt to confuse the reader by attempting to put in complicated battles or legal matters, which might be expected. Instead, Rees puts everything in layman's terms. Second, the style of the novel is intriguing. It starts off quickly with the entrance of the main supporting character, John Brown. From there on in, the action is fast-paced with frequent delves into the necessary morality issues. But, most importantly, the novel has a very nice lyrical style to it which causes the reader to feel at ease with the novel and a part of the story. Thus, the novel is highly recommended and I look forward to Mr. Rees's further novel.s

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Review by an 8th grader, May 3, 2011

By 

K. S. Vance "Young at heart" (Virginia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lightning Time (Mass Market Paperback)

This review is by a student of mine who read this book in April.

This book is very good. I liked it because it explained a historical event in a simple and exciting way, which is unlike almost every other book about something historical. I also liked how there were a lot of things in the book involving the telegraph, because I find those very interesting. The way the author wrote it made me feel comfortable reading it, even when there was something bad happening in the book. Even though this book is comfortable and simple to read, it is also informative in a memorable way because it is told in a story instead of a textbook, where it just gives you the facts. I would recommend this book to anyone above 6th grade, even if they don't know anything about John Brown before they read it.