Across Five Aprils Lib/E

I read this book 50 years ago when I was in grammar school and it made a lasting impression on me. I always said I would someday re-read it. I finally have done that. I downloaded a Kindle copy, re-read it and I love it as much as I did 50 years ago! The characters really come to life and you feel their pain and pleasure as they live through the sufferings of the Civil War. Its obvious why the characters and their situations are so real: they were based on real life people, family letters and stories told by the author's grandfather, who was nine years old at the beginning of the war and was an eyewitness to this fascinating period of history. I've read Irene Hunt's other books and I like them all, but this one will always be my favorite. Its written for a young audience but people of all ages will enjoy it. I can see why it won the Newberry Award. If you read only one book this year, let it be this one!

An Interesting and historical Civil War story. While I felt the author tried to give a somewhat balanced approach to the arguments between the North and the South, he was obviously an admirer of Lincoln and pro North. A more balanced story would have emphasized more that the war was really more about states rights and the issue of a centralized or decentralized government. But I would still recommend it, and I filled in for my grandchildren what I feel the author failed to portray. Overall I think the book was well written and did show a very sad chapter in our country's history.

I've heard this book recommended by many homeschoolers over the years as a must read during Civil War era history studies, and had purchased it for future use. Unfortunately when it was assigned the book was packed in boxes from our move so I bought the eBook version for the assignment! This fall I read this book aloud to my 7th grader as it was a parent-child discussion assignment.Set in southern Illinois, the story unfolds over five years, starting just before the Civil War and ending soon after the war ends. Jethro is the main character, a nine year old farmboy who is the baby in the family. Soon all his older brothers go off to war leaving his sister, he, and his parents to tend to the family farm which is a lot of work. Jethro's father falls ill and all the farmwork then falls to Jethro. Forced to grow up before his time given both the family's individual situation and the unrest in the country, this winds up being a coming of age tale. At the start of the story Jethro was a little boy and by the end he is a fourteen year old young man.Issues with the Civil War are debated and discussed in the story by the characters. An early situation is one of Jethro's brothers sympathizes with the Southerners and leaves the family to fight with the Rebels. This causes discontent, anger and hatred in the community, since they live in The North. Later the Creighton family is the target of hate crimes punishing them for the crime of the traitor son.Throughout the book we are informed of the happenings in the Civil War as the family hears news of various battles. Sometimes we read letters written by family members at the battlefront and other times we hear the opinions expressed in the newspapers. The opinions of the public about the Generals and President Lincoln are also shared as part of the story. I felt this showed that the issues were complicated and that even a family raised with the same values could not agree on which opinion was the right one. Later we wrestle with the issue of what should happen to soldiers who ran away from the battlefield and also what should happen to the traitors when the war was over.A subplot is the romantic love that develops between the fourteen year old girl and the schoolteacher who winds up fighting in the war. Her father had banned their marriage before he left to fight saying she was too young to marry. The girl matured in the war years and in the end we hope to see them united in marriage and hope he makes it through the war alive. (I'll not spoil the story...)I confess I am not a war story lover so in the parts that detailed the details of the battles my interest waned. However I was rivoted to the book and wanted to find out what happened to the Creighton family in the end. I would guess that any reader who likes battle details will be most interested in the book but honestly the story is solid and moves along quickly so even if you just want to know what happens to the individual people in the family and in the community you will enjoy the book.Character traits and virtues are clearly present in this historical fiction story. There is a lot to talk about regarding ethics and values as well as the topic of the Civil War. The book gave me a sense for what life was like for those who were both fighing in the war and those who were left at home struggling to make ends meet with most of the men in the family gone off to war.This is a solid, high quality historical fiction book that I think every middle school aged student should read, hopefully in conjunction with a study of The Civil War. I bet they'd learn a lot more by reading this than by reading a boring old textbook.

This was an amazing story about a family, it's trails, tribulations, and sorrow. But it was also a story of the incredible strength of the human spirit. Of neighbors who look out for one another and reveals the bigotry of those who hurt others for the lack of virtue in themselves.Young Jethro is an amazing young man who is forced to grow up and become the bread winner but throughout his trail he becomes a thoughtful caring human.The history of the battles is cleverly written into the fabric of the life's impacted.Great reading and ranks along side "Where the Red Fern Grows" and "Red Badge of Courage"

I bought this book for my 11year old granddaughter but wanted to read it first. I found it to be an excellent “you are there” history of the civil war from the view of a 9 year old. Some of the problems parallel what we are experiencing today as a country divided.

Jethro Creighton is a 9 year old boy living on a farm in Illinois when fighting breaks out starting the Civil War. His cousin, two brothers, and schoolteacher all join the Union army while another brother joins the Confederacy. When his father suffers a heart attack, the task of running the family farm falls on young Jethro’s shoulders. The story spans the entire Civil War, five Aprils from 1861 to 1865.Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt is a bittersweet book that reminds you that war is never tied up with a tidy bow. People die or are injured or can’t come home for various reasons. The story is told very well with the focus on how the war affected those left at home. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves historical fiction or the Civil War.

Across Five Aprils is one of the best Civil War books written for readers of any age. I have read it and listened to it many times. This recorded version is very good, but it is not great. As a listener, I have never been moved by the story as I was as a reader. Even so, I have gone back to the recorded version several times. This book introduces you to both people and history that you cannot bear to let go of.

as required reading in school I decided to read this. It was great. As the author described her sources I know why. this book is a combination on eyewitness story tellers recollection and historical research. A great read!!!

I bought this for my Grandson who was studying the American Civil war, he enjoyed it and would recommend it [he is age 12].

Excellent children's historical novel

I recently re-discovered this book and was happy to find it available for Kindle. I remember my third grade teacher reading this book to us many years ago (in the 1970s), but at that time I was too young to really understand some of the conflicts going on with the Civil War. I thoroughly enjoyed re-discovering this book as an adult. It is certainly not an exhaustive record of the Civil War (nor does the author pretend for it to be), but the author weaves one family's story around that terrible war, telling it through the eyes of a young boy whose older brothers are divided between North and South because of their different idea of what was "right". This is an enjoyable read for anyone who wants to learn more about what life was like in the 1860s in the American farmlands. Well worth reading again!