Witnessing the harrowing events of the Civil War from the Pennsylvania sidelines, 11-year-old Henry endures the most grueling challenges of his life throughout a hot July week when he becomes inadvertently involved in the historic battle. Original. - (Baker & Taylor)
Witnessing the harrowing events of the Civil War from the sidelines, eleven-year-old Henry endures the most grueling challenges of his life throughout a hot July week when he becomes inadvertently involved in the historic battle. - (Baker & Taylor)
The bloodiest battle in American history is under way . . .
- (
Scholastic)
The bloodiest battle in American history is under way . . .
It's 1863, and Thomas and his little sister, Birdie, have fled the farm where they were born and raised as slaves. Following the North Star, looking for freedom, they soon cross paths with a Union soldier. Everything changes: Corporal Henry Green brings Thomas and Birdie back to his regiment, and suddenly it feels like they've found a new home. Best of all, they don't have to find their way north alone--they're marching with the army.But then orders come through: The men are called to battle in Pennsylvania. Thomas has made it so far . . . but does he have what it takes to survive Gettysburg? - (
Scholastic)
Lauren Tarshis's New York Times bestselling I Survived series tells stories of young people and their resilience and strength in the midst of unimaginable disasters and times of turmoil. Lauren has brought her signature warmth and exhaustive research to topics such as the battle of D-Day, the American Revolution, Hurricane Katrina, the bombing of Pearl Harbor, and other world events. She lives in Connecticut with her family, and can be found online at laurentarshis.com. - (Scholastic)
Booklist Reviews
Tarshis, author of the popular Emma-Jean Lazarus novels, presents a highly personalized narrative of the Battle of Gettysburg. The story follows former slave Thomas and his little sister Birdie as they fall in with Union forces and make their way north. The Union army rolls toward its epic clash in a small Pennsylvania town, and Thomas becomes a unwitting participant in one of the most formative events in American history. Tarshis writes with sharp, clear, emotional language: "There they were, rebel soldiers ready to charge. There were thousands of them—men in front on horseback, waving gleaming swords." Back matter includes common questions and answers about the Civil War, along with the text of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. Others in the I Survived series include high-interest topics such as Pearl Harbor and September 11. Copyright 2012 Booklist Reviews.
Kirkus Reviews
The seventh (chronologically earliest) entry in the series pitches a young former slave into the middle of the Civil War's pivotal battle. Having saved a Union soldier named Henry Green by hurling a live skunk at his Confederate captors, young Thomas finds himself and his little sister Birdie adopted by Green's unit. Three weeks, an ambush and a quick march later, Thomas unexpectedly finds himself in the thick of the fighting--possibly on Missionary Ridge itself, though the author doesn't provide a specific location. Rather than go into details of the battle, Tarshis offers broad overviews of slavery and the war's course (adding more about the latter in an afterword that includes the text of the Gettysburg Address). She folds these into quick pictures of military camp life and the violence-laced fog of war. Afterward, Thomas and Birdie are reunited with their older cousin Clem, who had been sold away, and make good on a promise to Green (who doesn't survive) to settle with his Vermont parents and attend the school taught by his sweetheart. Sentimental of plotline but informative and breathlessly paced. (Q&A, annotated reading list) (Historical fiction. 9-11) Copyright Kirkus 2013 Kirkus/BPI Communications.All rights reserved.
