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Across Five Aprils Review
User Submitted Across Five Aprils ReviewsSeptember 8, 2008 I NEVER RECEIVED THE BOOKS I NEVER RECEIVED THE TWO BOOKS I ORDERED. I SENT E-MAILS TO AMAZON AND THE PERSON/PLACE I ORDERED THEM FROM....NEVER HEARD FROM ANYONE!!!!!!!!!!! September 6, 2008 A Classic Like many others, I was required to read this book in school. Unlike those who apparently have no attention span or appreciation of our country's history, I enjoyed it a great deal. Through Jethro's experiences, Ms. Hunt does an excellent job of touching on what the true heartache of this particular war was: brother against brother, with a difference in beliefs which split families apart and tore the nation. March 16, 2008 A Story About Family and War When I read the book, Across Five Aprils, the book kept me interested throughout the story. I can see a clear picture of the Civil War;hungry soldiers and hardworking farmers. Across Five Aprils is a story about the Civil War through the eyes of a nine year old boy,Jethro. I remember the part when Jethro's favorite brother,Bill leaves to fight with the South. I can feel the pain. I can picture Shadrach's and Jenny's happy face when they got married. I also felt Jethro's anger when Jenny had received a letter from Shadrach, while he was fighting the war, and would not show it to anyone. Jethro had misunderstood and soon realized that it was a private letter so he had forgiven Jenny quickly. During the confusion of the war, Jethro and his family had a hard relationship with each other,but when the war ended, the family would soon be united. February 12, 2008 Awfull!!! Ever since I was force-fed this book in 6th grade I have known it as my least favorite book ever. When it came time to write a 5 paragraph persuasive essay about some of the themes in the book I instead chose to write about why the book should be torn up, burned, and hung. I got a 'D' on the essay for effort. Maybe people who like eating children or have some other sick and twisted hobby will enjoy this book but I personally DO NOT. It took me, give-or-take 5 hours straight to get past the first couple chapters that don't have anything happen besides farming and bad grammar [eek!] If you don't want to take my word for it though, go ahead and read this rubbish: it's your funeral! Afterwards maybe you can chew tobacco and worship Satan! December 16, 2007 decent novel about a family split by the Civil War This book is a coming of age tale for southern Illinois preteen Jethro, who's hard-working farm family is forced to face the American Civil War. Jethro's schoolteacher, brothers, and cousin (who later deserts) fight for the North while his favorite brother fights for the South. The family must face the horrors of the war from the home front while also facing the prejudices of the zealots of home. The book would be incredibly difficult for young readers because of the dialect. Also, the plot is more tell than show. But, still, a powerful human tale of a border-state family during a tragic period. Grade: B September 14, 2007 My Students Always End Up LOVING This Book!! I teach 8th grade and my students and I LOVE this novel. There are several good twists,turns, and nice surprises along the way. It may require some thinking on their part to "get into it", but I have never had one student tell me that they didn't like the book when they were finished. In fact, students would get angry if we had to skip a day! This is a great historical fiction that really sparks a great deal of discussion about he Civil War. When I read other kids complaining about this book I thought of something Eleanor Roosevelt once said. "It takes curiosity to gain intellegence." So, if you're curious about the Civil War, this is a good read! March 17, 2007 didn't like it at all I feel bad rating this book so low but I also don't want to rate it higher because I hate this book. The only reason why I read this book was because I had to read it for my english class at school. If it wasn't for the class there is absolutely no way I would have read this book. the teachers thought that we should read a civil war novel for english because were doing a civil war unit in social studies. Before we even started the novel I thought we were doing plenty of civil war, but no we have to do even more civil war. I probably wouldn't have such a hard time with this book if I didn't have to do school work with. I had such a hard time understanding some parts of this book because the family had so many people in it. I struggled to read this book every night not only because it was boring, but because I had to try to understand it so I could do the work that went with it. The only thing that happens in this book is in the begging the civil war is about to start and then some people from this family fight in the war and then they write letters to the family. Thats litteraly the only thing that happens in this book. In my opinion this book was boring and I would not recomend reading it, unless you really want to because you have nothing else to do. January 2, 2007 Fabulous Civil War historical fiction for 5th - 6th graders!! I can't say enough good things about this book!! I was an insatiable reader as a child and this was one of my favorite books! I read this with 5th graders as a teacher and fell in love with it all over again! Many of my students had NEVER read a chapter book on their own, let alone read for pleasure, but they became captivated with reading as a result of this book and went on to read non-fiction books about the Civil War, biographies about Abraham Lincoln, Rifles for Watie, etc., on their own. This is significant since I taught in a low socio-economic area (95% free or reduced lunch). If kids find this boring, it is because it is over their heads - I read this WITH my students. They each had a copy and we read it aloud together in unison, stopping to clarify and discuss. Using historical fiction to introduce history makes it interesting and "digestible" for young people. It also sparks a desire to know more. A teacher can't tell a student everything, s/he must inspire them to investigate further. When students endeavor to learn more on their own, they are on the road to becoming educated. Abraham Lincoln himself only had one year of schooling - he educated himself with BOOKS! Specifically, this book is about a farming family in Civil War times torn apart by the war. It helps students understand the realities of the war that pitted "brother against brother" when the oldest son goes to fight for the "other" side. When he discovers that his brother was killed in battle, this big, hulk of a man sends word to his "mama" that he did not fire the shot that killed his brother. The book makes real the pain each family member must have felt. It helps students understand that the war was not just about slavery, it was also about states' rights and whether or not the people of the US wanted the federal government to be able to tell them what to do. The future of our government depended on the outcome of the war. It also helps them understand human rights and the fact that there are many gray areas in the complex world of politics and that issues rarely have an easy black or white answer. PARENTS, this book is worth reading with your child line by line if necessary! It can be tough, but it helps young people grow up a little and see the world more clearly, giving them a glimpse of a world outside of themselves. Books can change you and this one will for the better, without the shocking slap in the face that sometimes accompanies life lessons. You will notice deeper understanding, more maturity, a sense of accomplishment when your child masters this book. THAT is how you develop genuine self-esteem. For other character developing books, try The Secret Garden, The Diary of Anne Frank, and Anne of Green Gables. I can't explain why, but my 6th grade boys liked these as much as the girls, although they would never have picked them up on their own. Sounds crazy - I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't experienced it myself! December 9, 2006 Was this secretly a "get to sleep" medication? I had to read this book for school. My favorite part was when I got to the end and the torture was over. I'm a HUGE reader and I absolutely love books, but I think this is the only story I can say that I didn't like it AT ALL. I did find one good thing about it. I'm a person who has problems falling asleep. I started reading the assigned chapter right before bed, and it was a very good sleep medication; it was that boring. It had no story line whatsoever besides a detailed account of Civil War battles (and letters home that had such bad grammar and spelling it was painful to read them). All the characters were flat and unrealistic. It was the worst book I ever had to read. Please don't waste your time on it. December 9, 2006 187 pages of total blah Sometimes when I read a review by someone who's just raging about the book, I think, "Well, why didn't they just quit?" I'll dispel that notion. I had to struggle through this book for a literature class, so I had no choice to quit. Now, here's my idea of what this book would look like if it had chapter titles. Chapter 1: Talking on the farm Chapter 2: A war starts Chapter 3: Battle junk and some letters and some boring stuff happens Chapter 4: Battle junk and some letters and some boring stuff happens Chapter 5: Battle junk and some letters and some boring stuff happens Chapter 6: Battle junk and some letters and some boring stuff happens Chapter 7: Battle junk and some letters and some boring stuff happens Chapter 8: Battle junk and some letters and some boring stuff happens Chapter 9: Battle junk and some letters and some boring stuff happens Chapter 10: Battle junk and some letters and some boring stuff happens Chapter 11: Battle junk and some letters and some boring stuff happens Chapter 12: The war ends and a president gets shot, happily ever after (NOT), the end. For more Across Five Aprils reviews click here.
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