The Long Road to Gettysburg [Paperback]

Jim Murphy (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 18, 2000 | Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

A description of the Battle of Gettysburg as seen through the eyes of nineteen-year-old Confederate lieutenant John Dooley and seventeen-year-old Union soldier Thomas Galway.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Excerpts from the diaries of two young officers, Lt. John Dooley of the Confederacy and Cpl. Thomas Galway of the Union army, are at the heart of this compelling account of the Civil War's bloodiest battle. Expertly blending details about the battle and each side's plans with the diaries, Murphy conveys all of the tension, tedium and excitement of the battlefield. Archival photographs of the site powerfully present young readers with a grim reminder of the high cost of waging this conflict. Several photos show dead horses and soldiers, their bodies not yet removed for burial. The conclusion explains what happened to the young officers after the war was over, neatly tying up the end of the book and making these men from long ago even more real to today's readers. Ages 9-12.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 6 Up --As in The Boys' War (Clarion, 1990), Murphy returns to the Civil War, this time focusing on the Battle of Gettysburg. He introduces two participants--19-year-old Lieutenant John Dooley, CSA, and 17-year-old Union army Corporal Thomas Galway--through whose eyes the action unfolds. Each is a fairly ``typical'' soldier: for Galway, who has experienced anti-Irish prejudice, the war is personal; Dooley is there to defend the honor and integrity of the South. Through alternating narratives, readers see the march northward through Virginia and Pennsylvania, and are present for Pickett's Charge. Murphy does not spare the grim details of battle, and the well-chosen, sepia-toned illustrations and their accompanying captions do much to illuminate the text. The maps are comprehensive and thorough in recording the troop movements. The book closes with Lincoln delivering his Gettysburg Address, and with an epilogue about the young men's postwar lives. The excellent use of quotes and descriptions from Dooley and Galway's journals brings authenticity and immediacy to the narrative. By focusing on these two ordinary soldiers, readers gets a new perspective on this decisive and bloody battle. A first-rate addition to Civil War collections, especially where Murphy's previous book is popular.
- Elizabeth M. Reardon, McCallie School, Chattanooga, TN
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Sandpiper; Seventh Printing edition (September 18, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0618051570
• ISBN-13: 978-0618051571
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 8.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #638,720 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jim Murphy began his career in children's books as an editor, but managed to escape to become a writer, entering a life of personal and creative happiness and enduring financial uncertainty. He's convinced that the latter keeps him coming back to his computer to write every day and feels that a sense of impending doom is the doorway to creativity. He has never counted the number of books he's published (feeling the time and energy is better spent doing research and writing) but guesses that he has over thirty books to his credit. Jim's work has been honored with numerous awards, including two American Llibrary Association Newbery Honor Book Awards, an ALA Robert F. Sibert Award and Sibert Honor Book Award, three National Council of Teachers of English Orbis Pictus Awards, a Boston Globe/Horn Book Award and a BG/HB Honor Book Award, two SCBWI Golden Kite Awards, and been a finalist for the National Book Award. Recently, he was given the ALA Margaret A. Edwards Award for "his significant and lasting contribution to young adult literature."