Black Angels by Linda Beatrice Brown

It’s near the end of the war, and rumors of emancipation are swirling. Eleven-year-old Luke decides to run away to freedom and join the Union Army. But he doesn’t find the Yankee troops he was hoping for. Instead, he finds nine-year-old Daylily, lost in the woods after suffering an unspeakable tragedy. Her master set her free, but freedom so far has her scared and alone. Also lost in the woods is seven-year-old Caswell, the son of a plantation owner. He was only trying to find his Mamadear after the Yankees burned their house with all their fine things. He wanted to be brave. But alone in the woods with two slave children, he quickly loses all his courage, and comes to greatly depend upon his new friends. In the chaos and violence that follows, the three unrelated children discover a bond in each other stronger than family

Black Angels is a touching, war-torn journey of three children who are thrown together during the final battles of the American Civil War.

I have read quite a few books about the Civil War and its stories still continue to amaze me. Black Angels is one of the more "hard-core", if you will, books I've read about this subject because it carries the weight of young perspectives and a whole lot of gritty truth. Not only were Will, Daylily, and Caswell lost and alone, they faced things that many adults may not have ever had to go through. I think I liked this book because of it's vividness and honesty. If you don't have those things, you don't have a truthful story. Life was harsh back then and Brown did a fascinating job on capturing not only with the terrible battle scenes and struggles, but the language of the characters as well. I felt, even though Will (the oldest character in the book) is only eleven, his voice will hold an older reader's attention as well as someone as young as himself; and although the old timey language may put some off, I still think it's a great addition to the story and the character's personalities.
The only thing that I happen to dislike about Civil War era books is that they describe the Civil War as being about acceptance and freeing slaves. The Civil War was not about the slaves, it was about power and money--black slaves were just part of the bargain. I didn't much care for the ending either because it just stopped with Will, Daylily, and Caswell seeing each other again for the first time in ten years. I would have liked to find out what happened to them, but I guess Brown left that up to your imagination.
With that said, Black Angels is still a honest and breath taking story about the Civil War. I would recommend to tweens and young adults who like history or just a good timeless tale of courage and hope.

Linda Beatrice Brown is a professor of Humanities and holds the Willa B. Player Chair in the Humanities at Bennett College for Women in Greensboro, NC. She is the author of the critically acclaimed Crossing Over Jordan; Black Angels is her first novel for young readers.

|Pages: 258|Year Published: Sept. 2009|Publisher: Putnam|
|Genre: Historical fiction, Civil War, 1800s, adventure|
|Age Group: Ages 11+|
|Content: Some sensuality and some graphic details of gore|
|Enjoyed It: 4/5|Content Rating: 4/5|Cover: 4/5|
|Overall|

My Vicksburg by Ann Rinaldi

Thanks to Harcourt Children's Book & Flamingnet for this ARC
It is May 1863, and Claire Louise Corbet's beloved hometown of Vicksburg, Mississippi, is being used as a battlefield by the Confederate and the Union Army. When everyone begins to desert the town and move up into caves on the outskirts of town, Claire Louise's family seems to tear apart. Her father is a high ranked doctor for the Confederate Army while her older brother, Landon Corbet, is a doctor for the Union Army. Both her father and her brother are sent to other towns, while her mother is left alone to care for Claire Louise and her younger brother James. Landon returns home with a wounded Confederate solider named Robert, who is hiding a dark secret. Both Clarie Louise and Landon know they must help him before it is too late, but they are battling between what is right for Robert and doing what is right for their reputation. In the meantime, a food shortage occurs and the Corbet family could be on the brink of starvation. Will they make it through the hard times that the war has brought upon them? Read My Vicksburg to see what happens!

Even though I really haven't read too many historical fiction books or even heard of Ann Rinaldi, I thought this was a great book!! It seems you always hear stories about the Union side fighting against the Confederate , but you never hear the stories about a Confederate doctor and his son who serves on the opposite side. Altogether it was an excellent page turner! My Vicksburg was released May 4th.

Pages: 160  Year Published: 2009   Fiction: Historical/Civil War   

Age Group: Tween to teen girls ages 12+    Recommend: Yes

       Rating & Reviewer Enjoyment:


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Two Girls of Gettysburg by Lisa Klein

FROM THE BOOK JACKET:

Lizzie and Rosanna are cousins. But when the Civil War breaks out, fifteen-year-old Lizzie finds herself committed to the cause of the Union, while Rosanna is swept up in the passions of the old south—and in her love for a young Confederate officer. Torn in their alliances, yet as devoted as sisters, each girl finds herself grappling with the senseless brutality of war, and the sacrifices that must be made

 in order to su

rvive. It will take one of the war’s bloodiest battles—fought on the farmlands of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania—to bring them together again. Unflinching in its portrayal of war, and inspiring in its depiction of two resilient young women, this is a historical novel of exceptional depth and reach.

The Review

Two Girls of Gettysburg was fairly slow and didn’t start getting interesting until half-way through the book. The book was way too long for it just to end after the Battle of Gettysburg. (I would have enjoyed the book even if it just was about the Battle of Gettysburg period.) The book really took off just before Battle of Gettysburg and proved itself a recommendation. The battle scene at the end of the novel was breathtaking. I really loved it the detail and emotion Klein put into the final battle of the Civil War. I really enjoyed Lizzie’s side of the story because Roanna’s was a bit too stiff and there towards the middle, she only talked about historical events.

Klein did do a good job at portraying two very different girls: with Lizzie there was a sense of hidden adventure; with Rosanna there was a sense of a fantasy gone haywire. Lizzie learned to dream and Rosanna got a reality check. Both girls saw and experienced the aftermath of battles: they walked through the bullets, watched people die, and lost loved ones.

Two Girls of Gettysburg was a stunning read about the Civil War and all it’s tragedies and yep, happy endings-despite it’s slowness in places. I hope Klein writes more HF!

Rating: 3 stars       Pages: 387       Year Pub.:2008   Level: YA   Fiction: Historical

Time Period: Civil War (1870s)         Recommend? Yes