The story takes place in southern Illinois. It begins in April of 1861; the Civil War is about to begin. Jethro Creighton, nine, lives on a farm with his family. He has a married older brother John, older brothers Tom and Bill, a cousin Eb who lives with them, and a fourteen year old sister Jenny, who is enamored with a teacher Shadrach Yale in his early twenties. His mother and father are Ellen and Matt. When the war begins, John, Tom, Eb, and Shadrach go to fight for the Union side. Bill, Jethro’s favorite brother, is unsure about the war and goes off to fight with the Confederate Army, causing hatred to be directed at Jethro’s family by a few people in the Union-favoring town. The story follows the entire Civil War.

The family was like a microcosm of the war, because it showed a lot of elements. There was the separation caused by Bill fighting for the South, a deserter, a casualty of the war, a man injured by the war, and a man who comes back pretty much unharmed. I also liked how Jethro sent a letter to the president and got one back.

I couldn’t follow the war strategy very well.

I felt like I had gained some insight on the Civil War.

Irene Hunt was born in Southern Illinois. She did a lot of research to write this book and also heard stories from her Grandfather for inspiration. It received many awards.

The story was nice and because it was more for middle-schoolers it was easy to get through.

If you don't like any war literature obviously don't read it.

There weren’t as many intriguing quotes but here are a few:



“-the adult world of trouble, though, was not real enough to dim the goodness of an April morning.”



“...it would be shadowy men from distant parts who would die for the pages of future history books.”



“Color was splashed through the woods as if it had been thrown about by some madcap wastrel who spilled out, during the weeks of one brief autumn, beauty enough to last for years.”



“The rains came or they were withheld, the heat ripened the grain or blasted it with a scorching flame, the ears of corn matured in golden beauty or they were infested by worms or blight. One accepted the good or the evil with humility, for life was a mystery, and questions were not for the lowly.”

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Created Dec 11, 2002 at 1:59pm • Submit your own review...