This is a well written novela for tweens about the horrors of war, most especially the Civil War. I'm a fan of Paulsen's work, both his adult and young adult books, and I enjoyed this book, which carries an important and obvious message, but felt there was a lot missing. I wanted much more of Charley's back story, especially his relationship with his father and mother. I also wanted to know more about his "after" life at the end of the war. I didn't find Charley's eagerness to join the fight because he feared it would be over before he got there to be believable. I know that was a common thought by young men of his time, but Charley was the "head of the family" and would have felt the crush of those responsibilities. Even if he didn't, surely his mother would have impressed them on him to keep him from going. I felt it was totally unbelievable that she would so seemingly cavalierly let her eldest go off to war without fighting to make him stay. I wanted to know how the town received him afterward, how they helped him (or not) with his injuries, both mental and physical. Why didn't he return to the farm? Had his brother taken it over in his absence? Had his mother been forced to sell it or lost it because Charley wasn't there to work it. What were the every day challenges presented to Charley in the area he settled in. What this book had was good, just not enough for me. ( )

Charley is too young to join the Civil War, so he lies. In this historical fiction novel, Charley is used to show how life in the Civil War was. Charley sees action in most of the major battles of the war. Easy to read and a must for history lovers. ( )

Jefferson Cup Award (WON) 1999

Moving account of the Civil War, told from the perspective of a 15-year old boy from Minnesota. ( )

This tells the story of Charley Goddard who enlisted and served during the Civil War. Charley soon realizes that war is not as glorious as he had believed.

Other books to suggest: Bull Run, Nightjohn, Sarny

Other books by this author: Nightjohn, Sarny, Hatchet, Dogsong ( )