April 2013--Juliet's Moon
Talk Missouri Readers
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1tloeffler
Our April choice is Juliet's Moon by Ann Rinaldi, and we'll start discussing on Monday April 8. It's a fairly short book. I hope no one has much trouble finding it!
2labwriter
If people are willing to buy it used at Amazon, then they won't have any trouble finding it. I buy a lot of used books from Amazon this way, and those I don't want to keep I donate to the yearly YMCA book drive. I consider it a win-win. I just bought this book for 1 cent plus $3.99 shipping. If I took it out at the library, I would probably pay that much in overdue book fines, since I am so bad about getting my books back to the library. However, I don't mind paying those fines, since I consider them a donation to the library. Obviously I have "issues"--haha.
3tloeffler
I did the same thing, Becky, only I got it at Abebooks for about the same price ($3.95 + free shipping). For that price, I don't mind donating it when I'm finished (unless I love it, in which case, I have "issues" also, which is why there is no empty wall space in my house).
6sjmccreary
It is a very quick read - I read it cover to cover in a couple of hours yesterday. The library has it labeled "Y". I don't know what the definition of young adult is, but I would give it to an upper elementary or middle school student without any qualms.
7tloeffler
Well, if you've all read it and want to start the party sooner, I'm okay with that! I haven't started it yet, but I can see myself finishing it by Monday if you want!
8sjmccreary
No, it's OK. I'll wait until everyone else is ready.
9sjmccreary
Hello? Anybody here?
10Donna828
Thanks for that reminder shout out, Sandy. I'm here! I saw your review on your thread and thought it was great. I am taking the easy way out because we are going to Denver early in the morning and I have lots of stuff to do tonight. Anyway, I read the book in a few short hours after my Canasta group met. Here are the thoughts I just posted on my thread:
Book No. 34: Juliet's Moon by Ann Rinaldi. No rating as I don't usually read YA so have nothing to compare it with.
As I said, this was a quick read. I tried to conjure up my inner 12-year-old self as I began to read. I think this is one I might have liked as a 6th grader. It reminded my 65-year-old self about one of my favorite books from April of 2012, Woe to Live On by Daniel Woodrell, also a book read for the Missouri Readers group.
Both books were about Quantrill's Raiders, a renegade Confederate faction during the Civil War. Juliet was the 12-year-old narrator who fled the Yankees and saw her father shot to death in the Summer of 1863 in Missouri. Her older brother Seth arranges for her to live with his fiance's family but the Yankees find them and take them to a women's prison in Kansas City. The building collapses and Juliet is one of the survivors who reports to Colonel Quantrill about their treatment. According to the book, the raid on Lawrence, KS, was made in revenge for all the lives lost in the disaster.
Ann Rinaldi is a respected writer of YA fiction. I've read several reviews of her books on LT and have been tempted to read her books. I think instead I'll recommend them to my older granddaughters. I prefer adult books, although this one caught my interest and I will recommend it to my oldest granddaughter in another year or so. The book cover says ages 10 and up, but I thought the subject matter containing soldiers leering at young girls, etc. was a bit too mature for a 10-year-old.
Book No. 34: Juliet's Moon by Ann Rinaldi. No rating as I don't usually read YA so have nothing to compare it with.
As I said, this was a quick read. I tried to conjure up my inner 12-year-old self as I began to read. I think this is one I might have liked as a 6th grader. It reminded my 65-year-old self about one of my favorite books from April of 2012, Woe to Live On by Daniel Woodrell, also a book read for the Missouri Readers group.
Both books were about Quantrill's Raiders, a renegade Confederate faction during the Civil War. Juliet was the 12-year-old narrator who fled the Yankees and saw her father shot to death in the Summer of 1863 in Missouri. Her older brother Seth arranges for her to live with his fiance's family but the Yankees find them and take them to a women's prison in Kansas City. The building collapses and Juliet is one of the survivors who reports to Colonel Quantrill about their treatment. According to the book, the raid on Lawrence, KS, was made in revenge for all the lives lost in the disaster.
Ann Rinaldi is a respected writer of YA fiction. I've read several reviews of her books on LT and have been tempted to read her books. I think instead I'll recommend them to my older granddaughters. I prefer adult books, although this one caught my interest and I will recommend it to my oldest granddaughter in another year or so. The book cover says ages 10 and up, but I thought the subject matter containing soldiers leering at young girls, etc. was a bit too mature for a 10-year-old.
11tloeffler
Sorry, it's been a really busy week.
I finished it in one evening, and like Donna, it reminded me of Woe To Live On. I enjoyed it very much. It was interesting to read from the standpoint of a young girl who, though she wasn't fighting, was experiencing the war close-up. What Quantrill and Anderson did to Lawrence in retribution for the prison collapse was appalling and unforgivable, but I have to (shamefacedly) admit that I never really thought much about the women in the prison who died or were irreparably injured, just for being related to the "enemy."
There was a lot of mature content, but I think that 10 year old girls know a lot more than I did when I was ten, so the age level might be appropriate. I was an adult before I fully comprehended the horrors of the Civil War in Missouri, so I think I'd be more in favor of them learning it early.
Nothing from you, Sandy?
I finished it in one evening, and like Donna, it reminded me of Woe To Live On. I enjoyed it very much. It was interesting to read from the standpoint of a young girl who, though she wasn't fighting, was experiencing the war close-up. What Quantrill and Anderson did to Lawrence in retribution for the prison collapse was appalling and unforgivable, but I have to (shamefacedly) admit that I never really thought much about the women in the prison who died or were irreparably injured, just for being related to the "enemy."
There was a lot of mature content, but I think that 10 year old girls know a lot more than I did when I was ten, so the age level might be appropriate. I was an adult before I fully comprehended the horrors of the Civil War in Missouri, so I think I'd be more in favor of them learning it early.
Nothing from you, Sandy?
12sjmccreary
Well, this book reminded me of Enemy Women which also was focused on the treatment of Confederate Women left home while their men were off fighting the Yankees. Oh - that reminds me. We went to Atlanta for the Final Four basketball tournament last weekend (Go Shockers). While we were there, we were talking to ~someone~ I don't remember who, an older man I think. Anyway, he was telling us about different things to do in town that would be interesting. One of them was a museum or monument or something commemorating The War of Northern Aggression. He said this with a perfectly straight face and offered no explanations. I'd heard that southerners used to refer to the Civil War that way, but this was the first time I'd heard it myself.
Getting back to the book, I thought it was interesting that the raid on Lawrence was in retaliation for the prison collapse in KC. I'd never heard that before, but it certainly seems plausible. One thing I did find out, that I don't think was in the book, was that the building collapsed after the Union soldiers removed some of the support columns.
http://www.rulen.com/partisan/collapse.htm
http://quantrill1814.ksscv.org/
http://dixieoutfitters.com/p/lawrence-raid-revisited
Another article I found clarified that the meeting place mentioned on pg 158 as "Captain Perdee's farm on the Blackwater River in Johnson County" was actually closer to Columbus, MO, a couple of miles from the river. Our new house is just outside of Columbus. There are 2 big cemeteries there, and I think it might make an interesting outing some day to go look around and see if any of the names from the book show up on some of the grave stones.
Since the street address of the prison was spelled out in the book, I decided to look it up and see what is there now. (I really was just curious about exactly WHERE it had been.) The book says the prison was at 1409 Grand in Kansas City. There isn't a 1409 Grand anymore, but there is a building at 1407 Grand:
http://www.google.com/imgres?hl=en&authuser=0&biw=1320&bih=650&t...
Obviously, I had fun with this book. It was such a fast read that there was plenty of time to investigate some of the history behind it. Since the events in the story took place almost literally in my back yard, I enjoyed comparing the different locations as they are now to the way they were 150 years ago. Captain Perdee's farm hasn't changed as much as either 1409 Grand or Lawrence, KS have.
I thought it was a wonderful book and I would have no qualms about giving it to a 10-year old, if they were a good enough reader. The part about the soldiers leering at the girls was really pretty subtly presented and would be easily overlooked by a child who is too innocent or immature to understand what was really happening. I think it presents the brutality of the war in a way that can be understood by a 5th grader without overwhelming them or scaring them.
Getting back to the book, I thought it was interesting that the raid on Lawrence was in retaliation for the prison collapse in KC. I'd never heard that before, but it certainly seems plausible. One thing I did find out, that I don't think was in the book, was that the building collapsed after the Union soldiers removed some of the support columns.
http://www.rulen.com/partisan/collapse.htm
http://quantrill1814.ksscv.org/
http://dixieoutfitters.com/p/lawrence-raid-revisited
Another article I found clarified that the meeting place mentioned on pg 158 as "Captain Perdee's farm on the Blackwater River in Johnson County" was actually closer to Columbus, MO, a couple of miles from the river. Our new house is just outside of Columbus. There are 2 big cemeteries there, and I think it might make an interesting outing some day to go look around and see if any of the names from the book show up on some of the grave stones.
Since the street address of the prison was spelled out in the book, I decided to look it up and see what is there now. (I really was just curious about exactly WHERE it had been.) The book says the prison was at 1409 Grand in Kansas City. There isn't a 1409 Grand anymore, but there is a building at 1407 Grand:
http://www.google.com/imgres?hl=en&authuser=0&biw=1320&bih=650&t...
Obviously, I had fun with this book. It was such a fast read that there was plenty of time to investigate some of the history behind it. Since the events in the story took place almost literally in my back yard, I enjoyed comparing the different locations as they are now to the way they were 150 years ago. Captain Perdee's farm hasn't changed as much as either 1409 Grand or Lawrence, KS have.
I thought it was a wonderful book and I would have no qualms about giving it to a 10-year old, if they were a good enough reader. The part about the soldiers leering at the girls was really pretty subtly presented and would be easily overlooked by a child who is too innocent or immature to understand what was really happening. I think it presents the brutality of the war in a way that can be understood by a 5th grader without overwhelming them or scaring them.
13brenpike
Thanks for the references Sandy. Fun to read about places so familiar to us. . .
I enjoyed the book and think young historians would find it interesting. I know I would have as a youngster!
Your group read Enemy Women before I joined, but I have a copy and will read it soon.
It was a fascinating time in the history of Missouri and Kansas . . .
I enjoyed the book and think young historians would find it interesting. I know I would have as a youngster!
Your group read Enemy Women before I joined, but I have a copy and will read it soon.
It was a fascinating time in the history of Missouri and Kansas . . .
14Donna828
Terri, like you, I got my Civil War education later in life. i'm glad the subject is being introduced to younger readers.
Sandy, thanks for going the extra mile and doing research on places mentioned in the book. It is very cool that many of the events occurred so close to you. The collapse of the women's prison was new to me, too. The book makes more sense now that I know it was a deliberate act. I read the book quickly, but I only remember hints that the Yankees were responsible for the collapse. Hmmm, maybe I will recommend it to Sadie now after all. Grandma is a little too protective it seems. ;-)
Brenda, I think you will enjoy Enemy Women. It goes into a bit more detail about conditions in the women's prison in St. Louis.
Sandy, thanks for going the extra mile and doing research on places mentioned in the book. It is very cool that many of the events occurred so close to you. The collapse of the women's prison was new to me, too. The book makes more sense now that I know it was a deliberate act. I read the book quickly, but I only remember hints that the Yankees were responsible for the collapse. Hmmm, maybe I will recommend it to Sadie now after all. Grandma is a little too protective it seems. ;-)
Brenda, I think you will enjoy Enemy Women. It goes into a bit more detail about conditions in the women's prison in St. Louis.
15jfetting
I agree that the book reminded me of a YA version of Enemy Women. I had to keep checking that the women's prison was in KC, not in St. Louis like in EW. I enjoyed the book and would have loved it as a 10 year old - that was the same year/age I read Across Five Aprils which is about the Civil War also but from a young boy POV. Having a book told from the same era but with a girl POV would have been great. The whole kidnapping section, where the soldier takes the protagonist to be a sort of new sister, would have made a whole lot more sense to me when I was 10 than now. To be honest, I kept expecting his motives to be different and contain a whole lot more rape. Which thank goodness he didn't.
I really liked how the characters (with the exception of the narrator and her brother) were all real people. Sandy, it would be fun to see if any of them ended up in the local cemeteries. Overall I enjoyed the book very much.
I really liked how the characters (with the exception of the narrator and her brother) were all real people. Sandy, it would be fun to see if any of them ended up in the local cemeteries. Overall I enjoyed the book very much.
16tloeffler
It surprises me that I knew the raid on Lawrence was because of the prison collapse and you guys didn't. I wonder where I picked that up at? Maybe on the Civil War tour of Lawrence that Chris & I took last summer. Or maybe in my MO Civil War tour guide. But what I heard about the prison collapse was that they didn't know if it was intentional or accidental. So it makes a lot more sense to know that it was intentional. Even so...
I read Enemy Women a long time ago, and as I recall, I didn't care for it. But I bet I would like it better now, knowing so much more about the Civil War in MO. I should pick it back up again.
And Sandy, thanks for the research! These things are always so interesting. In my ancestry obsession, I've discovered that several of my ancestors in southeastern MO fought in the Civil War, but all for the North. This kind of surprised me, since they lived so much closer to the South. But they were all German, and I feel like I read something somewhere that German-Americans were more inclined to the northern view. They were all too poor to have any slaves anyway.
Also on our Civil War tour, Chris & I visited Jesse James' grave & Robert Ford's grave. We looked all over in the cemetery where Bill Anderson's grave was supposed to be, but we couldn't find it.
I need to take a weekend & do another one of the tours from that book.....
I read Enemy Women a long time ago, and as I recall, I didn't care for it. But I bet I would like it better now, knowing so much more about the Civil War in MO. I should pick it back up again.
And Sandy, thanks for the research! These things are always so interesting. In my ancestry obsession, I've discovered that several of my ancestors in southeastern MO fought in the Civil War, but all for the North. This kind of surprised me, since they lived so much closer to the South. But they were all German, and I feel like I read something somewhere that German-Americans were more inclined to the northern view. They were all too poor to have any slaves anyway.
Also on our Civil War tour, Chris & I visited Jesse James' grave & Robert Ford's grave. We looked all over in the cemetery where Bill Anderson's grave was supposed to be, but we couldn't find it.
I need to take a weekend & do another one of the tours from that book.....
