Best books about the Civil War?

[Guest janainaz]

My ds is in 4th grade - what are the best fiction books about the civil war (based on fact)? I want to make it more interesting....

 

Thanks

[Guest Cheryl in SoCal]

Across 5 Aprils, Shades of Gray and Behind Enemy Lines (true story of a female who enlisted in the Union army as a male) were some my son enjoyed. He also liked Undying Glory but it might be much for a 4th grader.

[Guest janainaz]

Thanks, Cheryl :)

 

I actually ordered Across Five Aprils and Behind Enemy Lines this morning after looking on the Sonlight website! We don't use Sonlight, but I just figured they'd have decent book lists. I'll look up the other one also.

 

Has anyone read The Red Badge Of Courage? I may have read it years ago, I just don't remember. Would that be age appropriate for a 4th grader?

[Guest Cheryl in SoCal]

Thanks, Cheryl :)

 

I actually ordered Across Five Aprils and Behind Enemy Lines this morning after looking on the Sonlight website! We don't use Sonlight, but I just figured they'd have decent book lists. I'll look up the other one also.

 

Has anyone read The Red Badge Of Courage? I may have read it years ago, I just don't remember. Would that be age appropriate for a 4th grader?

 

You're welcome:) My son has read that one as well but doesn't recall if it would be appropriate for a 4th grader. I think it's an easier read than Undying Glory but you may want to read it yourself first. It's short so if you need to pre-read it shouldn't take long.

[rookie]

The Red Badge of Courage - UGH!

:ack2:

 

I rarely say this about a book, but really, this rates high on my list of: Skip This Book.

 

We loved Across Five Aprils.

[Teneo]

Turn Homeward Hannalee

The Perilous Road

Two Little Confederates

Rifles for Watie

The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P Figg

^some of my favorites around that age. Also enjoy GA Henty's With Lee in Virginia, interesting to read as it was written by an Englishman.

Red Badge of Courage, well, I'd wait a few years to read that book. It's short, but the content may be a bit much for a 4th grader.

[creekmom]

Not a book, but an excellent movie for that time period is Brother Future. It's about modern day black teens who go back in time to the days of slavery. It is a real eye opener about how black people were treated- and the modern day teens help it "come to life". It's humorous as well as sad. The 8th graders in the middle school where I taught LOVED it!

 

http://www.amazon.com/Brother-Future-VHS-Phill-Lewis/dp/6304771010/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1275946895&sr=8-3

[Ali in OR]

Not a book, but probably our favorite thing was watching the Ken Burns series on The Civil War. Got it off e-bay. I was surprised how into it both of my dds were; I thought I would have to force them to watch it. I was only going to have my then 6 yo watch the first episode, but she wanted to see the whole thing.

[Jen the RD]

I second....

 

Turn Homeward Hannalee

The Perilous Road

Rifles for Watie--This is one of our family's all-time favorite read alouds!

 

Jennifer

[chadzwife]

My son read Rifles for Watie at age 14 or 15 and CRIED at the end

and yeah--he was teased mercilessly for weeks by his sisters...he didn't ever cry and certainly not over a BOOK--that made my whole homeschooling career and probably will always be the highpoint of it even with 2 more kids to go now...SCORE! :)

Try and find books written from the southern point of view too for a balanced record. Can't remember our slew of them right now as those are still packed up but A Confederate Primer comes to mind.

[Teneo]

Try and find books written from the southern point of view too for a balanced record. Can't remember our slew of them right now as those are still packed up but A Confederate Primer comes to mind.

^That's one thing that was nice about Rifles for Watie. It showed an Unionist learning to sympathize with the south. Two Little Confederates is (as you can guess) written about two confederate boys and their adventures during the war. With Lee in Virginia is written by an Englishman who mostly sympathized with the South, although there were some things about the Southern system he disliked and he clearly and articulately addresses them in the story. Turn Homeward Hannalee is an historical fiction about the sad and true forceful removal of Georgian children who were employed at the mills from their homes & families during Sherman's march to the sea in & being shipped off to the north to forcefully work at farms and factories.

Oh, there's also Iron Scouts of the Confederacy.

I think Veritas Press lists several books and resources from the southern point of view as well.

Edited June 8, 2010 by averyhappymama

[Shanaudria]

Forty Acres and Maybe a Mule is an interesting one dealing with immediate post Civil War.

 

Brady by Jean Fritz

Shades of Gray by Carolyn Reeder

[athena1277]

The Red Badge of Courage - UGH!

:ack2:

 

I rarely say this about a book, but really, this rates high on my list of: Skip This Book.

 

 

 

:iagree::iagree::iagree::iagree::iagree:

 

That is one book I truly hated. I will also add that it's probably too much for 4th grade. I didn't read it til high school.

[Guest janainaz]

The Red Badge of Courage - UGH!

:ack2:

 

I rarely say this about a book, but really, this rates high on my list of: Skip This Book.

 

We loved Across Five Aprils.

 

Thanks for the warning! I want my son to actually enjoy reading, and often we start on a book and I keep hoping it's going to get better, and then it doesn't..... I really hate that.

[Guest janainaz]

Thanks for all the suggestions :)

[Aubrey]

2 Miserable Presidents was really great. Loved Across 5 Aprils.

[SilverMoon]

Has anyone read The Red Badge Of Courage? I may have read it years ago, I just don't remember. Would that be age appropriate for a 4th grader?

 

My ds read it this past year and said it was pretty good. I wouldn't give it to a fourth grader though. Save it for the next time the Civil War comes around in his history. :001_smile: