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1958

Editor's Note: Many of the books are out of print. The header information will be as complete as I can make it.

Rifles for Watie by Harold V. Keith (HarperCollins, $15.89, sixth-grade level). ISBN: 0690049072.	The Medalist A 16-year-old Kansas farm boy has a wide-ranging view of the Civil War on the frontier when he leaves his home to become an infantryman, later a cavalryman, and then spends nearly 14 months behind enemy lines as a scout (a.k.a., spy). Jefferson Davis Bussey sees the war from both sides - literally. He falls in love with a proud Rebel girl and then learns to sympathize with the Rebel soldiers when he becomes one of them on his spy mission. The reader, too, learns to sympathize with the men who have to do the fighting and dying on both sides. Although both sides commit atrocities, only a few officers seem to want to fight. The rest of the men want to punish bushwhackers then lay down their weapons and return to their farms. Keith uses the standard device of a naïf to bring the horror of war direct to the open-eyed reader. And he certainly did his research. Many of the incidents are historically accurate to a miniscule degree because he based much of his work on interviews with a score of Civil War veterans. Although the narrative moves at a brisk clip, the reader bogs down from time to time because Keith has to get in one more fascinating event, no matter how small. I recommend this book for anyone who wants to present both sides of the war to young readers. They will also learn much about the unheralded role played by American Indians in the conflict. This would certainly make a marvelous companion piece to The Red Badge of Courage.
The Horsecatcher by Mari Sandoz (U. of Nebraska Press, $8.95, paperback, fifth-grade level). ISBN: 0803291604.	Honor Book A Cheyenne brave earns his place in the tribe by risking his life many times to catch wild horses. This is a wonderful book, perhaps the best Native American young adult novel. The prose is telegraphic in style yet rich in detail and meaning. She shares countless details about Native American life - it's an eye opener. The story is exciting, rich in drama and tension. Kids will identify with the boy as an outsider. Wow!
Gone-Away Lake by Elizabeth Enright (Odyssey, $13.60, fifth-grade level). ISBN: 0152022740.	Honor Book Charming story of kids who discover the remains of a resort community on a dried-up lake and the two old people who keep the memory of the place alive. Odd story but not without charm and humor and a gentle reminder how important the past is, even to children. The story may seem dated but it has an almost out-of-time quality that makes it accessible to modern readers.
The Great Wheel by Robert Lawson (Econo-Clad, $15.80, sixth-grade level). ISBN: 0785702091.	Honor Book An historical novel that examines the achievements of Ferris and the magnificent wheel he built for the world fair in Chicago. This is a rousing tale of American ingenuity and hard work. Has a Horatio Alger spirit to it. Nice look at the history of industrial design and how it captures the American heart and mind.
Tom Paine, Freedom's Apostle by Leo Gurko (Thomas Y. Crowell Co., seventh-grade level). LOC: 57-6567). Out of print	Honor Book The author provides a thoughtful, easy-to-read biography of Thomas Paine. This is an unusual book in the sense that is follows a warts-and-all biographical style that's more common to current writers. Gurko doesn't mind sharing the unpleasant aspects of Paine's personality because he uses these facts to paint a rounded picture of a remarkably talented, driven man. He is one of the seminal figures in the modern drive to democracy. I wish this book were still in print. It would be a notable addition to units on early American history. It also provides wonderful insights into the French Revolution and the English attempts to decrease the power of the aristocracy in that country.

Copyright David Ross 2003