Walter, Jon. My Name Is Not Friday.

Walter, Jon.  My Name Is Not Friday.      Scholastic Press  2016  368   18.99 978-0-545-85522-8 ms/hs  Historical fiction      E-BN

Samuel is a 12-year-old African-American free-born boy living in an orphanage with his little brother. Suddenly one day he is accused of a crime he did not commit and is sold at auction into slavery. He quickly learns that even on a plantation run by a kind and compassionate woman and her son, life can be very unfair and cruel. His one goal in life is to free himself from the plantation so that he can get back to his younger brother and look after him. But before he is able to even think about how this might come about, he becomes embroiled in the lives of the other slaves on the plantation, learning from them the necessities of coping with his new position. The story is very well written, and the reader becomes involved in Samuel’s life as he encounters one shocking event after another. Secondary characters are also very well drawn and appealing. The afterwards, a piece by the author on how he came to write the novel, and a note on the historical setting, add to the appeal of the novel. This one is long and involved, and will appeal to young readers who are genuinely interested in reading a picaresque novel set in the Civil-War South. It is interesting that the author is not American, but the voices in the novel ring true nonetheless. Recommended for older teens who like historical fiction.

Summary: During the Civil War, a free-born Black boy living in an orphanage, is sold into slavery and must find his way to freedom and his brother.           

Civil War-Fiction, Slavery-Fiction                                --Carol Kennedy

Myers, Laurie. Escape by Night: A Civil War Adventure

Myers, Laurie     Escape by Night: A Civil War Adventure    

Henry Holt/macmillan children's pub group 2011  120p  14.99 978-0-8050-8825-0     elem  E-BN  Historical  

   During the Civil War, Tommy and Annie and their dog Samson meet a wounded soldier at the hospital in their church.  They conclude that he is a Yankee and help him and a local slave escape from Augusta, GA. For grades 3-6.   As a wagon load of wounded soldiers rolls past their window, Tommy and Annie see a one-armed man clutching a book.  The book falls and Tommy retrieves it.  Returning it to the man and forming a friendship, Tommy comes to realize that the soldier is really a Yankee.  When he learns the man has a young son he wants to return to, Tommy debates what it means to “do justly, and love mercy”.  He finally decides to help the man escape.
    This Civil War story is perfect for young independent readers.  Simply written, it has enough of the gruesomeness of war to be real, but it is handled very gently.  The moral debate Tommy wages with himself is very well written and balanced with adventure.  It is especially touching when Tommy’s father, Reverend McKnight, recognizes Tommy’s strength of conviction even if he believes his choice is wrong.
   The story is loosely based on the childhood of Woodrow Wilson.
The sparse pen and ink illustrations help the reader picture the characters, setting and action.  They enhance the text for the reader.
An excellent choice for young readers interested in the Civil War. For grades 3-6.              Civil war - fiction     Joan Theal

Rinaldi, Ann. The Last Full Measure.

Rinaldi, Ann. The Last Full Measure.
Harcourt Brace/Houghton Mifflin, 218p, 2010, 17.00
978-0-547-38980-6, ms VG-BN


Vividly portrays life in the town of Gettysburg during the battle. With their family, Tacy and her brother David live through the dangers, fears, and aftermath of the battle.
With her father a doctor and two brothers away fighting for the Union army, fourteen-year-old Tacy lives through the days of the Battle of Gettysburg in town. Her older brother David, is in charge. He cannot fight due to a crippled leg. Tacy is headstrong and a real handful for David. During the battle the family helps hide some free Negroes, attend to wounded, and meet Confederates both respectful and not. After the fighting Tacy and David continue their father’s work of burying bodies and recording the names. At this time David gives his life for his principles by following the law and refusing to let a body be dug back up.
This book gives a glimpse at what it was like for the townspeople and how ordinary citizens may be called on to do extraordinary feats.
The characters are well drawn and it is obvious that both the locale and action during the battle are well researched. This will be a useful addition to the collection when students study the Civil War. Perfect for eighth graders.Theal, Joan

Marchetta, Melina Finnikin of the Rock

Marchetta, Melina Finnikin of the Rock
Candlewick Press 2010 399 18.99
978-0-7636-4361-4 hs/adult Fantasy VG-BN

Finnikin champions Evangelin when Sir Topher convinces him that she can lead them to the rightful heir of Lumatere.
Originally released in Australia, Melina Marchetta’s first fantasy effort has found its way to the United States. “Finnikin of the Rock” as is wide departure from Marchetta’s earlier teen novels. It has all the elements of a good fantasy story: a detailed world, a quest to save the kingdom, a love story, a cast of well-rounded, interesting characters with compelling back stories, and magic.

An imposter king’s brutality leads to a curse that makes Lumatere’s borders impenetrable and splits the nation’s people between refugees who escaped outside the kingdom, and citizens trapped inside the kingdom. No one is sure if any of the members of the royal family escaped the savage slaughter. Enter 19-year-old Finnikin -- who has scoured the land of Skuldenore for ten years, seeking to find a new homeland for the displaced people of Lumatere -- scattered across diverse nations. He is apprenticed to the former First Man to the kingdom, Sir Topher, who convinces Finnikin to carry out the schemes of Evangelin, a fey young woman with a murky past who claims she can lead them to the rightful heir of Lumatere.

“Finnikin of the Rock” is an adult novel with teen appeal (particularly when reading the vivid descriptions of inhumane actions conquerors inflict on the conquered or the cruelty inflicted on refugees; there are also several references to sex/scenes involving sex – which may make this novel unsuitable for younger teens). At 401 pages, the length of the novel may intimidate some teen readers; perhaps the novel should have been split into a series. But the book has heart and humor which more than offset the darker passages. Marchetta has a gift for creating three-dimensional characters that are authentic, memorable and complex. The initial pace is a bit slow, and may put off some readers, but the ending –clichéd and predictable as it is – will satisfy. There is no sugar-coating the themes of war, genocide, exile, and violence against women. But there is also loyalty, trust, love, and faith. These, and the brighter themes of an epic love and staying faithful to yourself and your dreams, shine through, and are sure to ring true with teen readers.

Melina Marchetta was the recipient of the ALA Printz award for the novel, “Jellicoe Road.” “Finnikin of the Rock” received the Aurealis Award (Australia) for Best Young Adult Novel, and the Australian Book Industry Award for Book of the Year for Older Children.
Despite war violence and some sexual situations, “Finnikin of the Rock,” even though it is a fantasy novel, is a fine springboard for discussion of the experiences of refugees in the aftermath of war. Welliver(3), Hilary

Rinaldi, Ann. Leigh Ann’s Civil War.

Rinaldi, Ann. Leigh Ann’s Civil War.
Houghton Mifflin/Clarion/Graphia/Kingfisher 2009 308p 17.00
978-0-15-206513-3 ms/hs
Leigh Ann’s estranged mother provides drama and intrigue for the family’s business during the time the dreaded Yankees invade Roswell, Georgia. Leigh Ann herself is branded as a traitor and sent North as a punishment after she tries to help her family by placing a French flag on their mill. This is a well written and researched novel that shows the readers the politics of war and the price of freedom. Leigh Ann is a young girl who lives on a Southern plantation with her father and two older brothers. When the Yankees come to Roswell, Georgia Leigh Ann tries to help her family by placing a French flag atop of their mill. The estranged mother, squired by a Yankee officer, returns to confiscate the plantation and arrest Leigh Ann. She is branded as a traitor for making cloth for Confederate soldiers and shipped North. This engaging historical fiction and an exciting adventure. It offers both realistic and suspenseful action in a well-paced plot and with engaging characters. The story is engaging and full of interesting details, the locations are beautifully described, and the characters are very three-dimensional. The author once again mixes adventure, political intrigues, realistic surroundings, and a little stress into this very well done historical novel. McNeil, Linda