GENRE: Historical Fiction
HONORS: Newbery Honor
REVIEW: Chris Brabson does not like Yankees at all and if he could, he would enlist and start fighting. They have invaded Tennessee, have helped themselves to the supplies he had helped his family store up for winter, and have taken the family's horse. To make matters worse, his brother has joined up with the Yankees. Chris attempts to prove himself as a loyal Confederate by trying to ambush the group of soldiers who looted his farm, freeing mules held by the Yankees, and revealing the whereabouts of a Yankee wagon train to someone he thought was a Confederate spy. Unfortunately, he soon realizes that his brother might be a driver in that wagon train and he worries that he may have just sentenced his own brother to death. Frantically Chris rushed to warn his brother but he fails in that mission and witnesses a horrible battle that makes him realize that Yankees are people too. By the end of the story he has grown up and not as judgmental of the other side.
OPINION: This book was solid entry in Civil War historical fiction. The pace was quick and had action all the way through. Readers can relate to Chris and his anger at the Yankees who are invading his area and then feel his terror when he thinks he has betrayed his own brother and then witnesses a battle.
IDEAS: This book would tie in well with a study of the Civil War especially with other books where the loyalties of families were divided.
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