Suggested Middle School Student Readings
Beatty, Patricia. Who Comes with Cannons?
A novel set during the Civil War, told from the perspective of a southern Quaker family. Truth is 12 when her parents' deaths send her to North Carolina to live with her uncle, his wife, and their two sons. Beatty follows the girl as she gains acceptance in her new family and they trust her to help them with their activities on the Underground Railroad.
Clapp, Patricia. The Tamarack Tree: A Story of the Civil War
Rosemary Leigh has come to America from England to join her brother in Vicksburg just before the start of the Civil War. She is thus caught up in the war and its causes as well as deeply involved in the siege of Vicksburg.
Cox, Clinton. Undying Glory: The Story of the Massachusetts 54th Regiment.
As does the movie Glory, this book details the history of the Massachusetts 54th Regiment, a black regiment that served with valor and distinction in the Civil War. The account begins with the formation of the unit in 1863 and follows it throughout the remainder of the war. Cox documents the difficulties that black soldiers faced: pay unequal to that of whites, severe prejudice, and an unwillingness on the part of many in power to allow them to engage in actual battle.
Fleischman, Paul. Bull Run.
Bull Run, which was the first battle in the Civil War, is a story told from 16 different points view. Women or men, black or white, they were all involved in the great Battle of Bull Run. All of the characters are facing the same problems but describe the events from a different perspective. Each character describes his or her experience during the Great Battle of Bull Run.
Hakim, Joy. A History of US: War, Terrible War.
Hakim attempts to show readers the horrors of slavery and the war that was thought to have ended it.
Hansen, Joyce. Which Way Freedom?
Obi, a young slave in the Civil War period, cherishes dreams of escape. When he confides his plans to Easter, another slave, she insists that he take her with him, as well as five-year-old Jason. Obi and Easter escape, but without Jason. When they are recaptured by Confederate soldiers, a growing rift develops between Obi and Easter, who can not forget their abandonment of Jason. Obi makes plans for another daring escape, but this time he fears Easter will not come with him.
Hansen, Joyce. Out From This Place.
After their daring run for freedom, Obi and Easter were separated in the confusion of the Civil War. But now that the war is over and the slaves are free, Easter sets out to find her old friend and take control of her life, in the powerful sequel to the Coretta Scott King Honor Book WHICH WAY FREEDOM?
Peck, Richard. The River Between Us.
At the start of the Civil War two mysterious young women get off a boat in a small town in southern Illinois, and 15-year-old Tilly Pruitt's mother takes them in. Who are they? Is the darker-complexioned woman the other woman's slave? Tilly's twin brother, Noah, falls in love with one of them—rich, stylish, worldly Delphine, who shows Tilly a world of possibilities beyond her home. When Noah runs away to war, Tilly and Delphine go after him, find him in the horror of an army tent hospital, and bring him back; but their world is changed forever.
Pickney, Andrea Davis. Silent Thunder: A Civil War Story.
Set in 1862 in Virginia, about two siblings, Summer and Roscoe, who are slaves on the Parnell Plantation. Roscoe, age 13, has learned to read while accompanying the master's son to his lessons. He teaches Summer, 11, her first letter by pointing out to her that the scar on her body is really the letter P, the master's brand. The book gives detailed accounts of each character of the story—Thea, the slave who can predict the future, and Mama's anger at what she considers her children's willfulness, Roscoe's dreams of freedom and also anxiety, as well as the grandeur of Dr. Bates' abolitionist speech on New Year's Eve, and Clem's desperation to gain his freedom. The arrogance of the "benevolent" masters and the indignity as well as forbearance and anger of the slaves are present in this story. The story is engaging, and readers will feel as if they are sharing in the trials and tribulations as well as the triumphs of Roscoe and Summer. This historical novel helps students understand this period in history.
Polacco, Patrick. Pink and Say.
It's a story of interracial friendship during the Civil War between two 15-year-old Union soldiers. Say, who is white and poor, tells how he is rescued by Pinkus (Pink), who carries the wounded Say back to the Georgia home where Pink's black family were slaves. In a kind of idyllic interlude, Pink and his mother nurse Say back to health, and Pink teaches his friend to read; but before they can leave, marauders kill Pink's mother and drag the boys to Andersonville prison. Pink is hanged, but Say survives to tell the story and pass it on across generations.
Reeder, Carolyn. Shades of Gray
Orphaned by the Civil War, 12-year-old Ben learns some unexpected truths from his Uncle Jed, a "coward" who refused to fight in the war. The novel captures the hardships that followed the last war fought on U.S. soil.
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