Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis

Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis is about a first-generation freeborn black 11-year-old named Elijah Freedman. Elijah is best known around his community for having thrown up on Frederick Douglass as a baby. The book focuses on Elijah's life, attending school, doing chores, fishing, and playing with his friends. Elijah was the first to be "born free" to former slaves in Buxton, Canada, and although he's heard stories about slavery from the freed slaves that surround him in his settlement, he has not come face to face with it.

Elijah's innocence to slavery changes as he, who is once described by his parents as being a "fra-gile" boy, embarks on the dangerous journey to America. Elijah, accompanied by Mr. Leroy, emarks on this quest in order to track down former slave, Reverend Zephariah, who stole Mr. Leroy's money that was intended to buy his family back from captivity in the south. Elijah's fragile persona is put to the test once reaching the destination and after Mr. Leroy unexpectedly passes. Elijah, though unable to recover the money and find the evil Reverend, successfully rescues an enslaved baby girl named Hope and the two journey safely back to Buxton.

Once described as a "fragile" boy, Elijah demonstrates the ability to face the harsh reality of slavery and finds the strength and courage that portrays him as the "grown up" that he longed to be perceived as by his family and friends. And he gave the greatest gift of all to Hope-a life of freedom, growing up in the settlement of Buxton, Canada, land of the free.

Curtis was able to depict a historical fiction story that contained the cultural and historical authenticity, while painting a clear picture of what life was like for runaway slaves and those who settled in Buxton. The character that he creates through Elijah is believable to readers, and does not make him "superheroic," while his rescuing of Hope proves to be a brave and admirable characteristic of a hero, it is believable of his age.

In the author's note, Curtis states that while some of the story is fictionalized, most of the story is based on fact. Frederick Douglass and John Brown did visit Buxton, and Reverend William King did found the Elgin Settlement for freed slaves. He encourges readers to go visit Buxton, while "it is almost impossible not to be deeply moved while looking out on fields that were cleared by people who risked their lives for the dream of freedom."

As this was my first book that I've read by Christopher Paul Curtis, I gained a deeper understanding of what life was like for those who were successful in escaping slavery after reaching Canada. It is unreal what young children, such as Elijah, had to endure throughout their lives. I respect, value, and admire their brave spirits as they experienced a life filled of uncertainty and danger.

Who Comes With Cannons by Patricia Beatty

Truth Hopkins, a young Quaker girl, gets more than she bargained for when arriving at her Aunt and Uncle's home in North Carolina at the start of the Civil War. Truth, whose father becomes hospitalized and mother deceased, must stay with her relatives after leaving Indiana. After getting the cold shoulder from her cousin, Truth discovers that it isn't because she isn't welcome in their home - but that her Aunt, Uncle, and cousins aid in the transport of slaves through the underground railroad. Slowly, they gain trust in Truth to keep their secret and eventually she helps them with their activities.

Because of the fact that Quakers do not believe in war, they will not fight on either side, angering the neighbors in their small town; however, her cousins are forced into joining the Confederate Army. When Robert is captured by Union troops, Truth and her Uncle embark on the dangerous journey up north to set him free from the prison in Elmira, NY. Uncle gets hurt and cannot continue the journey with Truth, so she is forced to continue on her own. She is able to free her cousin by asking Frederick Douglass to plead with Abraham Lincoln on her behalf. Truth's determination and strong spirit see her through her journey back home, as she shares her story at the First Meeting with her fellow "Friends" at the meetinghouse.

Truth's experiences upon arriving to North Carolina prompted her maturity and development as a character from the beginning to the end of the story. First, her father is ill and then dies and she must begin a new life with family that she barely knows. Second, she is confronted with issues of slavery and war that closely involves her relatives. Third, she assumes the responsibility of running the area school with her friend Martha as Mr. Hartling, their teacher, joins the Confederate Army. Finally, she takes on the daunting task of rescuing her cousin from the Union jail, while risking her life. Although Truth is only twelve years old, the events that occur prompt her to grow up at a faster rate, while opening up her eyes to the harsh realities of war. Beatty closely develops her characters and plot that allows for readers to understand the Quaker religion and how others were discriminatory to their beliefs. "The risky choice to create a heroine who plays a passive role for much of the story succeeds in the end--Truth's quiet determination allows for readers to view the Civil War from the perspective of a group persecuted by both sides." ~ Publisher's Weekly

After reading this novel, I was intrigued by how Quakers such as Truth and her family stayed true to their beliefs, despite the threats of violence brought on my others that opposed their religious practices. This brought on my own research in finding out what the majority of Quakers decided to do in the Civil War - was it similar to Truth's family? "Even though a few Quakers did fight in the Civil War, the vast majority refused to violate their peace testimony and thereby suffered consequences. Northern Friends had to pay fines or had their property confiscated." (http://www.drwilliams.org/)

Bull Run by Paul Fleischman

Bull Run depicts a glimpse into the lives of men and women in the first battle of the Civil War. Each account varies between Northerners and Southerners, detailing their individual feelings ranging from excitement, anger, sadness, and uncertainty of what the future is to hold. The individual story allows for each character to claim his or her position in the war, while describing how their lives are affected by the actions taken through the chain of events before and after the battle at Bull Run. Through the use of multiple perspectives, the historical event of Bull Run comes to life in each chapter. Dramatic scenes filled with descriptive details and imagery allow readers to closely follow each perspective of every day men and women, some soldiers, leaders, children, mothers, or observers in a war divided amongst the North and the South. Fleischman also alternates between each account between Northeners and Southerners, while allowing the reader to follow the action on either side. The maps illustrated in the few pages before the beginning of the story allow for the reader to also follow the action of the soldiers of both the Union and Conferederate armies. As most are fictional characters with the exception of General McDowell, the story of Bull Run would be an engaging and appropriate introductory piece of literature to complement the teaching of the Civil War in the middle school or high school level.

As Fleischman states at the end of the book, Bull Run can be used in class as a Readers Theatre, while allowing students to closely examine each of the roles and deciding on how to best effectively express each of their accounts based on what is happening in the story. This also allows for students to think critically about their character's involvement and take their own stance about what occurred at Bull Run. A review by Children's Literature states, "This unforgettable lesson encourages youngsters to approach a situation with the knowledge that there are more than two sides to each story; there are as many accounts as there are witnesses. This book will provide insight as well as fine material for student drama."

My only setback in this story was that I found myself rereading frequently throughout the story as Fleischman jumped back and forth in action from character to character. On my post it, I wrote down each character's names and jotted a few notes beside it - N for Northerner, S for Southerner, and a small detail that could help me recall what had last happened. I could see this being frustrating to children as they read the story, as I felt lost at times because by the time you get back to a certain character, the previous events were easily forgotten. If completing this in a guided reading setting, I would create a chart of the characters and make notes next to each of the names in order for us to recall what happened previously in the story. I found many kids who reviewed this book to be confused by this fluctuation in characters and this being a repeated opinion amongst many of them. http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/116950.Bull_Run

When beginning the story, I thought Fleischman's writing style would be similar to how it was represented in Seedfolks and how each character had one chapter each; however, Bull Run was deceptively different. It just goes to show that Fleischman's writing style is not a one size fits all approach; perhaps this is why he is is such an outstanding children's author!

I Had Seen Castles by Cynthia Rylant

John Dante grew up playing with toy soldiers as a young boy– never knowing he’d grow up to be a soldier fighting in a war for his country. From the very start, I felt as if I were right there with John, waiting for him to turn 18 and enlist in the war, wondering, would he return to his family safely? Would he reunite with Ginny and marry as they promised? Would he be able to move on with his life after returning to the United States from war?

In an end of the book interview, Rylant claims, "I do try to imagine what someone might feel. I needed a lot of empathy to write a war story--empathy for fear and pain." My emotions were instantly invested in the story, as I sympahized with the ordeals of all of the characters as we see the world through their own eyes. John's written account 50 years after his return from war, reflect the heartbreak and suffering that he experienced as if it had happened yesterday. The use of descriptive details and imagery allow you to feel as if you are right there on the front lines of war with John and his infantry unit. "Numbed by the horror of what he sees and does, John realizes that he is fighting only to keep himself and his fellow soldiers alive. "We were the ghosts of boys and we had come to believe in nothing but each other."

Four years after enlisting, John finally returns home. He realizes that he has very little in common with other people who did not fight in the war. Would there be anyone who could possibly understand what he went through over there? Ultimately, I thought John would tell of how he was reunited with Ginny, yet he didn't go to find her. Was he afraid that the man he'd become would not be able to give Ginny the life that they dreamed of years ago? I wanted to shout at him and tell him he was a fool for not going after her. But his experiences on the front lines changed his life forever, stealing his youth, creating a distance between himself and his loved ones, and forever altering his perception of the world in which he lived. The message at the end of the book to Ginny states, "I want you to know that I am really alive. And I still love you." It truly hurts to know that they will never reunite, but shows just how powerful their love for one another once was and that even the war had not changed his feelings towards Ginny.

I thought Rylant did a remarkable job in detailing the harsh realities of war and how it affected the lives of soldiers, like John Dante, for the rest of their lives. These were such young boys who hadn't experienced the smallest things that we take for granted today. Were they ready to take on such an important role? They were just kids when they left, but many returned men who were unable to fit into the place that they once called home.

Throughout the year, my class writes letters to World War II lveterans that live in Virginia. We write back and forth to one another. My students look forward to their letters as I know that the veterans enjoy the company of a pen-pal writing. They are very proud of their accomplishments and have sent pictures of themselves in uniform, in the past and present. I know that our letters give these men the company and support that they deserve, and just knowing how much we appreciate their sacrifices must mean the world to them. And we will never be able to truly describe how much that means to us and our nation.

Pink and Say by Patricia Polacco

Pink and Say details a friendship that ends shortly after two young boys who meet after a battle in the Civil War. Pink, a young white farmer, and Say, an African American soldier, take refuge in the home of Say's mother. Both boys have different views of returning to war - Pink is determined to return to his unit while Say only agrees to return in order to keep Say's mother out of harm's way. Tragically, Say's mother is killed by marauders and both boys are captured by confederates. Pink is hung and Say survives after being confined in a jail in very harsh conditions. Say survives the story and memory of Pink lives on in his words after being passed down form generation to generation, all the way down to Patricia Polacco, who is Say's great-granddaughter.

This story completely caught me by surprise at the end but I knew going into this book that there would be a personal connection to Polacco's life. Unlike Polacco's great-grandfather, Pink, Say did not have living relatives to pass his life story down generation to generation. Each time this story is read, his story is told and his memory is kept alive. The powerful message at the end of the book gave me goosebumps and caused my eyes to fill with tears:

"This book serves as a written memory of Pinkus Aylee since there are no living descendents to do this for him. When you read this, before you put this book down, say his name out loud and vow to remember him always."

And I responded, "Pinkus I will remember you."