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Editorial Reviews
From School Library Journal
Grade 6-9-Called "Coward" for not choosing sides during the Civil War, Matt Howard contemplates abandoning his family's Missouri farm and his beloved father's grave site to find refuge. The teen wants nothing more than to continue farming, "but nobody will let him do that," including the militia that forces him to sign an oath and do weeks of labor for the Union. His mother has made up her mind to leave their land and take her children to her once-estranged parents in Pennsylvania. Even his best friend plans to fight for the South alongside his brother, under the leadership of the ruthless guerrilla leader, Quantrill. Finally, after death and destruction hit home and Matt falls under suspicion, he decides to take a stand and sacrifice everything. Delivering lifelike characters and a stimulating plot, this novel is a good exploration of the turmoil surrounding war-torn Missouri. It offers a rare look at a time when youth had a strong appreciation for land, respect for elders, and were forced to grow up early and look death in the face. One can't help but empathize with this strong-hearted boy forced into the role of caregiver for his family, swallowing his pride at every turn and protecting those in his charge against things they should not have to do, hear, or see.
Kimberly Monaghan, formerly at Vernon Area Public Library, IL
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Gr. 7-12. "I don't fight, I farm." In 1863 in Missouri, 15-year-old Matt wants nothing to do with the Civil War raging around him. His only wish is to grow corn and help his strong, widowed mother care for the family. He takes no sides and sees no righteous cause (slavery is not an issue), but the violence comes closer until it threatens to tear apart his home and his lifelong bond with his best friend, Jesse. This first novel is very long, with many confusing twists and turns. But the confusion is the point of the story. Like Matt, the reader keeps asking, who's fighting whom? Why? Are the "guerrillas" for the South or the North? The atrocity on both sides is brought home after Union soldiers torture Jesse's Rebel family, and then, later, Rebel soldiers become brutal perpetrators. There's lots of physical action, but the best part of the story concerns Matt's close relationships with family and friends: the furious quarrels, the vulnerability, and always the threat of betrayal. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
See all Editorial Reviews
Grade 6-9-Called "Coward" for not choosing sides during the Civil War, Matt Howard contemplates abandoning his family's Missouri farm and his beloved father's grave site to find refuge. The teen wants nothing more than to continue farming, "but nobody will let him do that," including the militia that forces him to sign an oath and do weeks of labor for the Union. His mother has made up her mind to leave their land and take her children to her once-estranged parents in Pennsylvania. Even his best friend plans to fight for the South alongside his brother, under the leadership of the ruthless guerrilla leader, Quantrill. Finally, after death and destruction hit home and Matt falls under suspicion, he decides to take a stand and sacrifice everything. Delivering lifelike characters and a stimulating plot, this novel is a good exploration of the turmoil surrounding war-torn Missouri. It offers a rare look at a time when youth had a strong appreciation for land, respect for elders, and were forced to grow up early and look death in the face. One can't help but empathize with this strong-hearted boy forced into the role of caregiver for his family, swallowing his pride at every turn and protecting those in his charge against things they should not have to do, hear, or see.
Kimberly Monaghan, formerly at Vernon Area Public Library, IL
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Gr. 7-12. "I don't fight, I farm." In 1863 in Missouri, 15-year-old Matt wants nothing to do with the Civil War raging around him. His only wish is to grow corn and help his strong, widowed mother care for the family. He takes no sides and sees no righteous cause (slavery is not an issue), but the violence comes closer until it threatens to tear apart his home and his lifelong bond with his best friend, Jesse. This first novel is very long, with many confusing twists and turns. But the confusion is the point of the story. Like Matt, the reader keeps asking, who's fighting whom? Why? Are the "guerrillas" for the South or the North? The atrocity on both sides is brought home after Union soldiers torture Jesse's Rebel family, and then, later, Rebel soldiers become brutal perpetrators. There's lots of physical action, but the best part of the story concerns Matt's close relationships with family and friends: the furious quarrels, the vulnerability, and always the threat of betrayal. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
See all Editorial Reviews
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
The dog kicked up the rabbits and worked them through the brush. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
coffee bean tree, guerrilla shirt, barn lot, provost marshal Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Aunt Lotty, Jim Vaughn, Jim Lane, Matt Howard, Bill Stone, Book of Joel, Cumberland Gap, Sam Wright, John Robertson New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Front Flap | First Pages | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
The dog kicked up the rabbits and worked them through the brush. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
coffee bean tree, guerrilla shirt, barn lot, provost marshal Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Aunt Lotty, Jim Vaughn, Jim Lane, Matt Howard, Bill Stone, Book of Joel, Cumberland Gap, Sam Wright, John Robertson New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Front Flap | First Pages | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 3
books:
1
book
cites this book:
- A Tale of Two Cities (Signet Classics) by Charles Dickens on page 141
- A Tale Of Two Cities by Charles Dickens on page 141
- Tale of Two Cities (Penguin Readers Level 6) by Dickens on page 141
- Rush Hour: Face by Michael Cart in Back Matter
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