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Reading Lists: American Historical Fiction

The Civil War (1861-1864)
Ackerman, Karen. The Tin Heart. 1990. 32p.
Mahaley rides her father's ferryboat across the Ohio River to see her best friend until the Civil War pits their fathers against each other. Each girl wears half a heart to symbolize their strong friendship, despite separation.
Alter, Robert Edmund. High Spy. 1967. 219p.
In this action-packed Civil War story, William Thaxton is captured by Rebels, imprisoned, escapes from prison, has a duel, and delivers secret information about enemy battle plans. Best for 6th grade and up.
Baker, Carin Greenberg. Pride of the Green Mountains: the story of a trusty Morgan horse & the girl who turns to him for help. 1998. 122p.
Rosalie tries to find a way to save her beloved Morgan horse, Major, when her father goes away to fight in the Civil War, & her mother decides to sell the horse to make ends meet.
Banks, Sara H. Abraham's Battle: a novel of Gettysburg. 1999. 88p. In 1863, as the Civil War approaches his home in Gettysburg and he realizes that a big battle is about to begin, a freed slave named Abraham decides to join the ambulance corps of the Union Army.
Bartoletti, Susan. No Man's Land. 1999. 168p.
Fourteen-year-old Thrasher Magee is eager for action and excited to fight alongside General Stonewall Jackson. Thrasher leaves Georgia for Virginia and embarks on a journey that tests his courage and strength--but in ways he never intended.
Beatty, Patricia. Charley Skedaddle. 1987. 186p.
During the Civil War. A 12 year-old Bowery Boy from New York City joins the Union Army as a drummer, deserts during a battle in Virginia, and encounters a hostile old mountain woman.
Beatty, Patricia. Eben Tyne, Powdermonkey. 1990. 227p.
A thirteen-year-old powdermonkey in the Confederate navy joins the crew of the ironclad Merrimack in a mission to break the Union blockade of Norfolk harbor.
Beatty, Patricia. I want my Sunday, stranger! 1977. 254p.
A 13 yer old Mormon boy from California makes his way east, searching for his horse which was stolen for use by the Confederates in the Civil War. Will most likely appeal to 6th grade and up.
Beatty, Patricia. Turn Homeward, Hannalee. 1984. 193p.
12 year-old Hannalee Reed, forced to relocate in Indiana along with other Georgia millworkers during the Civil War, leaves her mother with a promise to return home as soon as the war ends.
Bierce, Ambrose. An Occurance at Owl Creek . 1980. 40p.
During the Civil War, a condemned man has many thoughts as he stands on a bridge, awaiting hanging.
Brink, Carol Ryrie. Caddie Woodlawn. 1935. 275p.
The adventures of an eleven year old tomboy growing up on the Wisconsin frontier in the mid-19th century.
Catton, Bruce. Banners at Shenandoah: a story of Sheridan's Fighting Cavalry. 1955. 254p.
Bob runs away from home to join the Union Army. During his stint as a soldier, Bob learns much about himself and life in general. A nice read by one of the top Civil War historians.
Climo, Shirley. A month of Seven Days. 1987. 152p.
When 12 year old Zoe's Georgia home is taken over by Union Soldiers, she uses all her ingenuity to drive them away.
Collier, James Lincoln. With Every Drop of Blood Pub?. 235p.
While trying to transport food to Richmond, Virginia, during the Civil War, 14 year-old Johnny is captured by a black Union soldier.
Crane, Stephen. Red Badge of Courage. 1895. 267p.
Henry Fleming dreams of glory before entering his first battle, an event that causes him to face his fears and the harsh realities of war. Published in 1895, this book is considered to be the first modern war novel, because, uniquely for it's time, it tells of the experience of war from the point of view of an ordinary soldier. Best for ages 13 and up.
Denenberg, Barry. When Will This Cruel War Be Over? : the Civil War Diary of Emma Simpson. 1996. 156p.
The diary of a fictional 14 year old girl living in Virginia, in which she describes the hardships endured by her family & friends during one year of the Civil War.
Duey, Kathleen. American Diaries: Amelina Carrett: Bayou Grand Couer, Louisiana, 1863. 1999. 137p.
Amelina is used to being alone, but now Yankee soldiers are close and just because her Cajun community has been uninvolved in the war doesn't mean the farm would be spared if the Yankees swept through the area.
Edmonds, Walter D. . 1970. 400p.
In the fifth story, Cadmus Henry, seventeen-year-old Cadmus joins the Confederate Army and among other adventures, rides in a hot air balloon.
Hahn, Mary Downing. Promises to the Dead. 2000. 202p.
Twelve-year-old Jesse leaves his home on Maryland's Eastern Shore to help a young runaway slave find a safe haven in the early days of the Civil War.
Hunt, Irene. Across Five Aprils. 1964. 223p.
Relates a young boy's experiences during the Civil War in the backwoods of southern Illinois. The family is divided when one brother joins the Union forces, the other the Confederacy.
Hurmence, Belinda. Tancy. 1984. 201p.
At the end of the Civil War, a young house slave on a small North Carolina plantation searches for her mother who was mysteriously sold when Tancy was a baby.
Keith, Harold. Rifles for Watie. 1957. 332p.
This story is about a Union soldier and spy fighting the Civil War in the West.
McGiffin, Lee. Pony Soldier. 1961. 160p.
Two Southerners, Fifteen-year-old Cass, and his friend Gunter, are captured by Union soldiers while on scouting duty for the Confederate Army. The boys are offered the chance to leave prison by joining the Union troops fighting Indians on the Western Frontier. Fighting side by side with Northern soldiers, the boys realize that there are good and bad Northerners and that the color of a man's uniform doesn't determine what the man really is.
Murphy, Jim. The Journal of James Edmond Pease, a Civil War Union Soldier: Virginia, 1863. 1998. 172p.
James Edmond Pease, a sixteen-year-old orphan, keeps a journal of his experiences and those of "G" Company, which he joined as volunteer in the Union Army during the Civil War.
Myers, Walter Dean. The Glory Field. 1994. 375p.
Follow a family's 241 year history, from the capture of an African boy in the 1750s through the lives of his descendents, as their dreams and circumstances lead them away from and back to the small plot of land in South Carolina they call the Glory Field.
Nixon, Joan Lowery. A Dangerous Promise. 1994. 148p.
After being taken in by Capt. Taylor and his wife in Kansas, 12 year old Mike Kelly & his friend Todd Blakely join the Union Army as musicians & see the horrors of war first hand in Missouri.
Nixon, Joan Lowery. Keeping Secrets. 1995. 163p.
In 1863, eleven year old Peg Kelly is drawn into the dangerous activities of a mysterious young woman who had come to her home in Missouri after fleeing the raid of William Quantrill and his raiders on Lawrence, Kansas.
O'Dell, Scott. Sing Down the Moon. 1970. 137p.
A young Navajo girl recounts the events of 1864 when her tribe was forced to march to Fort Sumner as prisoners of the white soldiers.
Paulsen, Gary. Soldier's Heart: a novel of the Civil War: being the story of the enlistment and due service of the boy Charley Goddard in the First Minnesota Volunteers. 1998. 107p.
Eager to enlist, fifteen-year-old Charley has a change of heart after experiencing both the physical horrors and mental anguish of Civil War combat. Due to the graphic nature of some passages, this book is most suitable for ages 12 and up.
Porter, Connie Rose. Meet Addy, an American Girl. 1993. 69p.
Nine year old Addy Walker escapes from a life of slavery to freedom during the Civil War.
Reeder, Carolyn. Across the lines. 1997. 220p.
Edward, the son of a white plantation owner, his black house servant, and friend Sam witness the siege of Petersburg during the Civil War.
Reeder, Carolyn. Captain Kate. 1999. 210p.
Determined to take her father's coal-carrying barge on the C & O Canal from Cumberland, Maryland, to Georgetown in D.C., twelve-year-old Kate learns hurtful truths about herself.
Reeder, Carolyn. Shades of Gray. 1989. 152p.
At the end of the Civil War, 12 year old Will, having lost all his immediate family, reluctantly leaves his city home to live in the Virginia countryside with his aunt and the uncle he considers a "traitor" because he refused to take part in the war.
Rinaldi, Ann. An Acquaintance with Darkness. 1997. 291p.
When her mother dies and her best friend's family is implicated in the assassination of president Lincoln, fourteen-year-old Emily Pigbush must go live with an uncle she suspects of being involved in stealing bodies for medical research. Ages 12 and up.
Shore, Laura Jan. The Sacred Moon Tree: being the true account of the trials & adventures of Phoebe Sands in the Great War Between the States, 1861-1865. 1986. 209p.
Determined to see the war for herself, 12-year-old Phoebe, disguised as a boy, travels with her friend Jotham behind enemy lines to Richmond in hopes of rescuing Jotham's brother from a Confederate prison.
Steele, William O. The Perilous Road. 1958. 156p.
Fourteen-year-old Chris, bitterly hating the Yankees for invading his Tennessee mountain home, learns a difficult lesson anout the waste of war and the meaning of tolerance and courage when he reports the approach of a Yankee supply troop to the Confederates, only to learn that his brother is probably part of that troop.
Wisler, G. Clifton. The Drummer Boy of Vicksburg. 1997. 133p.
In this fact based story, 14 year old drummer boy, Orion Howe, displays great bravery during a Civil War Battle at Vicksburg.
Wisler, G. Clifton. Mr. Lincoln's Drummer. 1995. 131p.
Recounts the courageous exploits of Willie Johnston, an eleven-year-old Civil War drummer, who became the youngest recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor.
Wisler, G. Clifton. Mustang Flats. 1997. 116p. When his father returns from the war in 1865, fourteen-year-old Alby finds his beloved Pa a changed man and can only hope that they will be friends again.
Wisler, G. Clifton. Red Cap. 1991. 160p. A young Yankee drummer boy displays great courage when he's captured and sent to Andersonville Prison.
If you enjoyed reading these books at the library, you may enjoy looking for the following books!
Lyon, George Ella. Cecil's Story. 1991. 32p.
This picture book is about a boy who thinks about possible scenarios that exist for him at home if his father goes off to fight in the Civil War.
Malkus, Alida Sims. We were there at the Battle of Gettysburg. 1955. 176p.
Young Johnny Blayne observes the Battle of Gettysburg from both sides: the Union and the Confederate Armies.
Reit, Seymour. Ironclad!: a true story of the Civil War. 1977. 92p.
Presents the historic Civil War battle between two ironclad ships, the Merrimac & the Monitor, from the viewpoint of a youth serving aboard the Monitor.
Stolz, Mary. A Ballad of the Civil War. 1997. 54p.
Weary of the war, a Union lieutenant recalls his life with his twin brother on their family's Virginia plantation and the events that led them to fight on different sides in the Civil War.

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