Like a River

Leander and Paul are two young soldiers fighting in the Civil War. They join the army for different reasons, but when they cross paths in a Union hospital, they become fast friends. Both boys must make a difficult decisions. Leander must decide where he will go next, and Paul must decide whether or not to keep his secret and continue to fight for the Union Army. Along the way both boys wonder if they will ever see each other again.

This book details to story of two young Union Soldiers during the Civil War. The first part of the book is Leander’s story. Leander is the typical immature youth who wants to grow up too fast. The author was successful in showing the reader his immaturity and selfishness. We also get a sense of his jealousy towards his brother. Paul’s character is strong-willed and hardworking. He has a strong desire to help those around him. He is one of the better written characters in the book, because the author developed his character more so than the others in the book.

One of the supporting characters, Given, was very disappointing. The author did not give much depth to Given’s character. In the story, Given goes out of his way to help those who are weaker than him, almost to an extreme degree. Unfortunately, the author never explains or show why he does this, which makes his motives somewhat confusing. Given could have been one of the strongest characters in the story if the author would have spent more time developing his character.

This book was chalk-full of conflict, which is expected in a Civil War novel. The author tried to create conflict to mirror actual events that occurred during the Civil War. This, unfortunately, just made the story seem disconnected. The author should have focused more on building the story and less on trying to incorporate historical events that did not fit.

The author was successful in using conflict to change Leander’s character for the better. Through his thoughts and actions, it is evident that he has changed. Conflict is also used successfully to show Paul’s resolve. Paul never gives up on his fellow soldiers, and tries his best to keep them alive. Another successful aspect of this book was the author’s ability set up each scene. Her descriptions help the reader easily see locations such as the hospital and camp vividly.

In this book, the author offered a view of life for those captured by the Rebel army. Although this is rarely included in Civil War Fiction, the author was just was not successful in her execution of this story. This was not a lighthearted book. It offered a realistic view of the death and mutilation that occurred during the Civil War. The author tried to create a touching story, but the story ended up not being very memorable. There are better Civil War stories for Middle-Grade readers, such as: I Survived the Battle of Gettysburg 1863 by Lauren Tarshis or Iron Thunder by Avi.  However, I would suggest book to children who have already read many of the Civil War fiction books for kids, and are looking for something new.

Like a River. By Kathy Cannon Wiechman. Calkins Creek. 336 pages. $17.95
Recommended Reading Level: Grades 5 – 8
Rating: 3.0/5.0

Mark of the Thief

Summary:
Nic, a young slave boy, spends his days working in a mine, but his life changes when he discovers a talisman belonging to the late Julius Caesar. When Nic is sent to Rome, he discovers that the talisman holds great magic, but this power leads him into danger. In the end, Nic knows he has to make a decision about who to trust, and what to do with the magic.

Review:
I had high hopes for this book, but unfortunately it just fell flat. One of the problems with this book was that the plot was not fully developed. Some of the action scenes were confusing, which made it a challenge trying to understand what was happening. It was difficult to tell where the plot was leading throughout this book, and the book seemed to drag until the conclusion.

Another issue with this book is that it was difficult to get a sense of the characters. In the beginning, the main character, Nic, shows strong will, resolve, and even a sense of humor. At first it is easy to understand Nic’s character. Unfortunately, as we get further in this book, Nic does not really show these same character traits. This makes some of his decisions in the book seem confusing and not believable in the context of the story. An example of this is when the Griffin named Caela is captured; we assume from what we know about Nic that he will rescue her. Instead, he lets her be captured and taken to Rome. Many of the secondary characters were also not fully developed, and it was difficult to understand their motives and actions. Crispin, the senator’s son, was a very confusing character. In the story, he makes belittling comments about slaves that go against his character. Felix, the man who buys Nic, is also a confusing character. His kindness towards Nic in the beginning does not make sense, and his actions later in the story are also unclear.

Some aspects of this book did work well. In many of the scenes Nielsen described the setting vividly, which made it easy to visualize locations, such as the coliseum. Nielsen was also able to successfully  interweave the fantasy elements in the story with historical information about Ancient Rome.

Overall, this book had issues that kept it from meeting its potential. I know Nielsen was trying to leave some things unexplained for the sequel, but due to the lack of character and plot development, the reader may be left with a feeling of indifference.

Mark of the Thief. By Jennifer A. Nielsen. Scholastic Press. 339 pages. $17.99
Recommended Reading Level: Grades 6-8
Rating: 3.5/5.0

Stella by Starlight

Stella’s eyes are filled with fear as she and her brother witness a burning cross. Stella knows that this is a sign of the Klan, which means trouble for the people in her small community. The book Stella by Starlight is about the struggles that many African American families in the South faced in the early 1930’s. This story is told through the eyes of Stella. Stella’s community deals with racism, unfair work practices, and voter discrimination, but they are still able to stay strong and come together as a community.

In Stella by Starlight, Draper weaves a beautiful story about the strength of community and family. This piece of Historical Fiction is one that every child in 4^th and 5^th grade should read. As tragedy befalls Stella’s community, everyone bands together and they never give up hope. Draper has a way with words, and uses skillfully crafted imagery to help the reader see each scene vividly. Throughout this story we learn how things makes sense to Stella as she makes observations about the world around her. Stella’s father and mother are very brave, and they teach Stella and her brother to be hardworking and to care for those around them. Her parents and the people in the community never let tragic events keep them down. They look out for each other, and are able to band together when conflict arises.

The only thing that could be improved in this book, would be for Draper to add more depth to some of the secondary characters, especially Stella’s best friend and the doctor. Stella, her family, her teacher, and Spoon Man were written about in such great detail, and it would have been nice to see some of the other characters more fully developed.

Stella by Starlight. By Sharon M. Draper. Atheneum Books for Young Readers. 320 pages. $16.99
Recommended Reading Level: Grades 4 – 5
Rating: 4.5/5.0