Boys of Wartime: Will at the Battle of Gettysburg

January 1, 2011

"What would the Rebels want with a place like Gettysburg, Pennsylvania?" wonders 12-year-old Will Edmonds. He's living in Gettysburg with his mother and three sisters, his father's working at an Army hospital and his older brother is a soldier in a Southern prison. Will dreams of glory in battle, but instead the battle is coming to him. As Confederate forces begin arriving in Gettysburg, a town of only 2,400 residents, Will befriends a Southern boy named Abel Hoke, and in that friendship war is made personal: The enemy now has a face he knows. For her second installment in the Boys of Wartime series (Daniel at the Siege of Boston, 1776, 2010), Calkhoven draws on the many firsthand accounts of the bloodiest battle of the Civil War and weaves a solid tale of war through the eyes of Will. Dialogue too often reads like history lessons, but readers will come away understanding not only the facts of the battle but the underlying debates over states' rights and slavery. A fine introduction to a battle that turned the tide of the war. (historical note, children's roles in the Civil War, list of characters, timeline, glossary, further reading) (Historical fiction. 9-12)

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March 1, 2011

Gr 4-7-Twelve-year-old Will dreams of the heroic exploits he will undertake once he convinces his parents that he is old enough to be a drummer in the Union Army. However, when war comes, he finds that combat isn't nearly as glorious as he had imagined. At the end of June and into July, the 2400 residents of his town are thrust into the middle of one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War. Will finds himself actively participating-more reluctantly than in his earlier daydreams, but determined nonetheless. He challenges a Confederate soldier who is rounding up free Negroes to sell as slaves, helps a Union colonel get an urgent message to General Meade, and endangers himself to save the life of a Confederate friend. Will sees firsthand the chaotic and horrific realities of war and death. His level of involvement could come across as contrived, but Calkhoven's notes make clear how townspeople of all ages were pressed into action. Will is a more contemplative protagonist than Rodman Philbrick's protagonist in The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg (Scholastic, 2009), and while his internal struggles may seem a little moralistic for his age and time, his confusion about how he can count a Confederate drummer among his friends rings true. With back matter that includes an extensive time line, a list of historical figures who make an appearance in the story, and a detailed author's note, this solid piece of fiction will appeal to history buffs and reluctant readers alike.-Kim Dare, Fairfax County Public Schools, VA

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