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Title details for The Boys' War by Jim Murphy - Available

The Boys' War

Confederate and Union Soldiers Talk About the Civil War

by Jim Murphy
Ed Sala
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
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1 of 1 copy available

Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's 2019 Book Award (Vermont)

This contemporary classic explores the role of boys who fought in the Civil War. No reader's vision of America's most brutal and bloody war will be the same after reading this book.

"This wrenching look at our nation's bloodiest conflict through the eyes of its youthful participants serves up history both heartbreaking and enlightening."—Publishers Weekly

Some Union and Confederate soldiers were as young as twelve when they went off to fight in the Civil War. It is thought that as many as ten to twenty percent of all Civil War soldiers may have been under sixteen.

The Boys' War follows these young soldiers through the rigors of camp life and drilling, right into the chaos of the battlefield. Jim Murphy skillfully weaves together firsthand accounts and personal letters of these countless young men with historical context to paint their portrait—young soldiers who, either seeking escape from the drudgery of farm work or embracing fantasies of glory, participated in the Civil War.

Handsomely produced with numerous period photographs and drawings, The Boys' War is a winner of the Golden Kite Award for Nonfiction and an ALA Best Book for Young Adults.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    November 1, 1999

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781449869984
      • File size: 58962 KB
      • Duration: 02:02:50

  • Languages

    • English

  • Levels

    • Lexile® Measure: 1060
    • Text Difficulty: 6-9

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Often overlooked are the roles that boys between the ages of 10 and 15 played in the Civil War. THE BOYS' WAR provides vignettes of these experiences through excerpts from diaries and letters, which are woven into a basic history of the war. Mindful of the age of his subjects, Ed Sala reads into their memoirs all the naòvetÄ, horror and loneliness of the war years. Daily experiences, from outfitting to drumming to fighting, are vivid. The poignancy of these moments from both Union and Confederate units will not be easily forgotten. At some point, especially with school use, the listening experience would be enriched by an opportunity to view the exceptional photographs of the book. A.R. (c) AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      March 22, 1993
      From first chapter (``So I Became a Soldier'') to last (``We're Going Home''), this wrenching look at our nation's bloodiest conflict through the eyes of its youthful participants serves up history both heartbreaking and enlightening. Ages 8-12.

    • Publisher's Weekly

      October 1, 1990
      Readers of Russell Freedman's Newbery-winning Lincoln: A Photobiography , viewers of the recent PBS Civil War documentary series and even Nintendo-addicted preteens will find themselves immediately caught up in this dramatic and at times tragic book. Murphy's exemplary narrative history of the Civil War focuses on the contribution of boys--some as young as nine, many not yet teens. He skillfully interweaves excerpts from the diaries and letters of countless young men who, either seeking escape from the drudgery of farm work or embracing fantasies of glory, participated in America's most brutal and bloody war. Handsomely produced, the book does not shrink from presenting the stark images of youngsters killed or mutilated in battle. The extensive use of contemporary archival photos reinforces the power of the understated text. Ages 9-14.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

Levels

  • Lexile® Measure:1060
  • Text Difficulty:6-9

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