Stonewall [Hardcover]

Jean Fritz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 5, 1979 | Grade Level: 6 and up

"Lives of (Thomas) Jackson are plentiful . . . but none, for all its brevity, surpasses Jean Fritz's . . . She places him firmly within the context of an extraordinary knotted period of American history. . . . Stonewall gives us both the strangeness and the greatness."--The New York Times Book Review.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Stonewall Jackson, the eccentric Confederate general, and Benedict Arnold are the subjects of these two fine biographies. Ages 10-14.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

"The question I am most often asked," Jean Fritz says, "is how do I find my ideas? The answer is: I don't. Ideas find me. A character in history will suddenly step right out of the past and demand a book. Generally people don't bother to speak to me unless there's a good chance that I'll take them on." Throughout almost four decades of writing about history, Jean Fritz has taken on plenty of people, starting with George Washington in The Cabin Faced West (1958). Since then, her refreshingly informal historical biographies for children have been widely acclaimed as "unconventional," "good-humored," "witty," "irrepressible," and "extraordinary."

In her role as biographer, Jean Fritz attempts to uncover the adventures and personalities behind each character she researches. "Once my character and I have reached an understanding," she explains, "then I begin the detective work--reading old books, old letters, old newspapers, and visiting the places where my subject lived. Often I turn up surprises and of course I pass these on." It is her penchant for making distant historical figures seem real that brings the characters to life and makes the biographies entertaining, informative, and filled with natural child appeal.

An original and lively thinker, as well as an inspiration to children and adults, Jean Fritz is undeniably a master of her craft. She was awarded the Regina Medal by the Catholic Library Association, presented with the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award by the American Library Association for her "substantial and lasting contribution to children's literature," and honored with the Knickerbocker Award for Juvenile Literature, which was presented by the New York State Library Association for her body of work.

copyright ? 2000 by Penguin Putnam Books for Young Readers. All rights reserved.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Putnam Juvenile (September 5, 1979)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399206981
• ISBN-13: 978-0399206986
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,748,450 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Stonewall: Book of an incredible man's life., November 10, 2006

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Stonewall (Paperback)

Stonewall was an incredible book that gave lots of info on Stonewall's experiances in the Civil War.

This book helped a lot in my reports, and also gave me more unknown info on the Civil and Mexican wars. It talked about Stonewall's early years, his years at West Point, and his conflicts in the wars he participated in. His conflicts were both external and internal. He had problems in West Point with his perspiration problem, and his will to get a chance to prove himself in battle.

All and all, I recommend this book because it is informative and fun to read.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stonewall, November 30, 2001

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Stonewall (Paperback)

I thought it was a very good book. I would recommend it to everybody that likes the Civil War. It does deserve five stars because the Civil War was neat. There is lots of suspense in the book.

5 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I learned more about him from the book then my history books, August 6, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Stonewall (Paperback)

Excellent. I learned so much about Jackson, and felt so sad when he died at the end of the book. He was a big hero for the Confederacy. But what was strange is that he sucked lemons. Cool.