The Night Riders of Harpers Ferry (White Mane Kids) [Paperback]

Kathleen Ernst (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up | Series: White Mane Kids

This is a memorable tale of loyalty and adventure as Solomon Hargreave learns how tangled politics and family relationships can be in a troubled border state proceeding the Battle of Antietam Creek, 1862.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6-9. Solomon Hargreave, a scout and map sketch artist for the Eighth New York Calvary Regiment, falls in love with Mahalia, a girl his age whom he saves from drowning. He is encouraged by his superiors to drop in on her family as often as possible to get information about her brother Corbin, either the leader of the Loudon County Scouts, who rode against the Yankees, or dead. When he happens to encounter the raiders, Solomon gets a glimpse of Corbin?and realizes that it's Mahalia dressed as her sibling and riding in his place. Solomon has little time to address this unhappy situation with Mahalia since General Lee is engaging the Yankees in battle at Harpers Ferry. He confronts her; it turns out that many of his assumptions, and readers', about the girl and her family have been incorrect. A few historical photos set the scene; the action and the dialogue keep the story moving briskly; and both female and male characters defy stereotype and surprise readers. While the full-page, black-and-white drawings are somewhat static, the book is entertaining and instructive at the same time and, despite a cover and title that don't do it much justice, is a surefire hit for historical fiction fans.?Susan F. Marcus, Pollard Middle School, Needham, MA
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 6^-8. Stationed with the Eighth New York Cavalry Regiment at Harpers Ferry, 17-year-old Solomon dives to the rescue of a young woman who has thrown herself into the swift, cold waters of the Potomac River. Far from grateful, young Mahalia turns on the embarrassed hero in anger, but he gradually earns her trust and learns some of her family's dangerous secrets. Set on the border of North and South during the Civil War, this novel conveys the strain of divided families, misguided loyalties, and the hardscrabble existence of that period. The love interest is apparent, but it never becomes sappy or supersedes the action and adventure. A few sketches and period photographs illustrate the text of this readable, first-person novel. Carolyn Phelan

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Paperback: 152 pages
• Publisher: White Mane Publishing Company (March 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1572490136
• ISBN-13: 978-1572490130
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,321,770 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Kathleen Ernst is a novelist, social historian, and educator. Her seventeenth book is "The Heirloom Murders: A Chloe Ellefson Mystery," the second in a series of novels for adult readers that are set at historic sites. The first Chloe book, "Old World Murder," was published in 2010 and is available from Amazon as a trade paperback and for the Kindle.

Kathleen's historical fiction for children and young adults include eight American Girl mysteries set between 1732 and 1945, and five novels for young readers set during the American Civil War. These titles have earned four Arthur Tofte Juvenile Fiction Awards, the Flora MacDonald Award, a WILLA Finalist Award, an Edgar Award nomination, and three Agatha Award nominations.

Kathleen has also authored a nonfiction adult book about the Civil War, "Too Afraid to Cry: Maryland Civilians in the Antietam Campaign," which was an alternate selection of the History Book Club. It tells the stories of non-combatants who found themselves caught up in the bloodiest day in American history.

For ten years Kathleen wrote instructional video scripts for public television; honors for those include a regional Emmy Award, Platinum Best of Show Aurora Award, and a Wilbur Schramm Award of Excellence.

Kathleen has a Masters Degree in History Education and Writing from Antioch University, where her self-designed program focused on nontraditional methods of teaching and learning history--with a special emphasis on historical fiction. She spent over a decade as a Curator of Interpretation and Collections with the State Historical Society of Wisconsin, Historic Sites Division, which provided great material for her novels.

She lives near Madison, Wisconsin with her husband Scott and Sophie the cat. Some of her greatest pleasures include gardening, learning folk crafts, traveling to research new books, and hearing from readers.

Kathleen has a blog, Sites and Stories, writes poetry and essays, and is working on her third Chloe Ellefson mystery and new books for American Girl.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars History comes alive!, July 28, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: The Night Riders of Harpers Ferry (White Mane Kids) (Paperback)

I love learning about history by reading about the actual people who have lived it. As a teacher, I would recommend this for social studies classes at the middle school level and up. The Civil War characters are memorable, the action fast-paced and students will appreciate the fact that it's based on true events. Kathleen Ernst's Teacher Guide includes discussion questions and activities. It's available by contacting Whine Mane Publishing, Inc., PO Box 152; Shippensburg, PA 1725

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Book review for The Night Riders of Harpers Ferry, April 22, 2004

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Night Riders of Harpers Ferry (White Mane Kids) (Paperback)

(...)

Crossed the river. I knew what that meant in this cantankerous border state. Her brother was riding for the Confederacy. I was wearing the clothes of my enemy.

In Kathleen Ernst's book, The Night Riders of Harpers Ferry, Solomon Hargreave is riding his horse when he saw a girl standing on a rock in a river about 100 feet away from shore. Solomon thought she was the prettiest girl he's ever seen in his life. So Solomon took out his private sketchpad tied, Cinder, his horse, to a tree. When Solomon looked up, that girl (Mahalia Sutter, he was soon to find out) was gone. So he stood up and only saw her arm in the water. Solomon jumped from rock to rock and when he was at the rock he last saw her on, looked into the water, saw her and grabbed her arm and tried to pull her out. The current was strong and pulled Solomon in to. They both slammed into rocks, but do Solomon and Mahalia make it to shore? Find out in The Night Riders of Harpers Ferry.

I think this book is for boys in the preteens. I think they'll like this book because this book has lots violence and action throughout the book. That is why I think boys in the preteens will like this book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exciting story of Civil War life, June 7, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: The Night Riders of Harpers Ferry (White Mane Kids) (Paperback)

I found this story exciting, fast moving, and poignant. Though Samuel is a soldier from New York State and Mahalia's family's sympathies lie with the Confederacy, the generosity of heart and spirit shown toward each other is a wonder on each page. Friendship between opposites in the harrowing time of the Civil War is brought to dramatic life by a gifted storyteller. Highly reccomended for adults and young adults alike