The Boys' War

March 22, 1993
From first chapter (``So I Became a Soldier'') to last (``We're Going Home''), this wrenching look at our nation's bloodiest conflict through the eyes of its youthful participants serves up history both heartbreaking and enlightening. Ages 8-12.

October 1, 1990
Readers of Russell Freedman's Newbery-winning Lincoln: A Photobiography , viewers of the recent PBS Civil War documentary series and even Nintendo-addicted preteens will find themselves immediately caught up in this dramatic and at times tragic book. Murphy's exemplary narrative history of the Civil War focuses on the contribution of boys--some as young as nine, many not yet teens. He skillfully interweaves excerpts from the diaries and letters of countless young men who, either seeking escape from the drudgery of farm work or embracing fantasies of glory, participated in America's most brutal and bloody war. Handsomely produced, the book does not shrink from presenting the stark images of youngsters killed or mutilated in battle. The extensive use of contemporary archival photos reinforces the power of the understated text. Ages 9-14.

January 1, 1991
Gr 6 Up- -Making extensive use of the actual words-culled from diaries, journals, memoirs, and letters-of boys who served in the Union and Confederate armies as fighting soldiers as well as drummers, buglers, and telegraphers, Murphy describes the beginnings of the Civil War and goes on to delineate the military role of the underage soldiers and their life in the camps and field bivouacs. Also included is a description of the boys' return home and the effects upon them of their wartime experiences. Boys 16 years and younger, Murphy states, made up perhaps as much as 10-20 percent of the total number of soldiers who served in the Civil War. Little did these boys realize that they would become like young Pvt. Henry Graves, who was able to " look on the carcass of a man with pretty much such feeling as I would do were it a horse or hog.' " Private Henry and his contemporaries were direct and simple in their observations and possessed, says Murphy, "an eye for everyday details." Their accounts bring to life, as no other versions can, the Civil War and all of its glories and horrors. An excellent selection of more than 45 sepia-toned contemporary photographs augment the text of this informative, moving work. -David A. Lindsey, Lakewood Junior/Senior High School, WA

January 1, 1990
Photographs. The author draws widely on actual letters and diaries in this examination of the participation and experiences of boys under the age of sixteen who fought in the Civil War. This well-researched and readable account provides fresh insight into the human cost of a pivotal event in United States history. Bibliography, index.

(Copyright 1990 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)