Harriet Tubman was a black woman who escaped from slavery and became famous as a conductor on the Underground Railroad. This book describes her childhood as a slave, her successful escape, and her efforts during and after the Civil War.

This is a very descriptive and informative book. It deals with a sensitive subject in a simplistic way so it is very readable and understandable to younger students. A timeline of important dates is provided at the end of the book. Kindergarten-Grade 3

The story of Jefferson Davis' early life, his careers as soldier, planter and politician and as President of the Confederate States of America are described in engaging detail. A great deal of information about his imprisonment and personal and financial misfortunes and struggles after the War is also provided in the book.

A glossary, chronology, Civil War events timeline, and recommended reading list are provided at the back of the book. Grades 3 - 5

This biography chronicles Lincoln's boyhood, early political and legal career, and provides many details of his efforts and the events during the Civil War.

A glossary, chronology, Civil War events timeline, and recommended reading list are provided at the back of the book. Grades 3 – 5

This book descriptively details Clara Barton's early family life, her many careers, and her well-known efforts nursing soldiers during the Civil War. She became known as the "Angel of the Battlefield". After the war, she formed a bureau to search for missing soldiers. Her efforts in establishing the American Red Cross are also reported.

This book contains great detail about Clara Barton as a person. It is a great resource of historical information and photographs. Grades 3 - 5

When twelve-year-old Benjy travels to Virginia to meet and visit with his grandmother, he meets the ghost of a Virginia Military Institute cadet who was killed in the Battle of New Market in 1864. Benjy and Hugh become friends and Benjy learns some Civil War history while helping Hugh recover his family's treasured gold watch.

Even though this is a work of fiction, a cadet named William Hugh McDowell did attend the Virginia Military Institute and die in the Battle of New Market in 1864. It is a startling coincidence that Hugh's family watch did actually disappear, and has never been recovered. An informative author's note is at the back of the book. This is a great story about a friendship which spans the boundaries of time. Grades 4 – 7

A young girl named Willie believes the remains of a deserted mansion are occupied by a feline ghost. After her encounter, she has a strange dream in which she becomes the cat who is owned by an escaped slave. In her dream, Willie observes many events which occurred just prior to the Civil War. A unique way to tell a story. Grades 2 - 4

Jack and Annie's magic tree house transports them back to the time of the Civil War. Their adventures as volunteers on the battlefield and at the Field Hospital lead them to meet Clara Barton and Johnny Clem, a drummer boy for the Union Army.

Even though this is fiction, the author has taken great care to use historical information in the story. There are Civil War facts, information concerning Clara Barton and drummer boys, lyrics to a soldier's Civil War song, and a website reference listing in the back of the book. Grades 1 – 4

This is a collection of black folktales which were developed by plantation slaves who com- bined their memories and habits from the old world of Africa and their experiences in their new world. The tales were created out of sorrow and the desire for freedom by the powers of imagination. They were passed on to later generations with a message of hope and love.

In some of the tales, various animals are creatively used to represent slaves and to depict their experiences on the plantation. Much of the text contains the expressive diction and dialect common to the time. There are many moving stories. A bibliography of additional folktales is provided in the back of the book. Grades 1 – 5

This book contains short 1-2 page chapters each expressing different viewpoints on the Civil War from sixteen different people, eight from the South and eight from the North, such as: a black slave woman, a fife player from Georgia, a Southern colonel, a Minnesota farm girl, a black Union soldier, and a civilian spectator. Each tells his/her impressions and experiences from the First Battle of Bull Run.

The wide range of characters makes this an effective vehicle for presenting many opinions and ideas. Some of the lives of some of the storytellers intertwine which is effective in facilitating classroom discussion. Grades 3 - 8

Fictionalized account based on historical records and research on the life of Charley Goddard, a fifteen-year-old volunteer with the First Minnesota Volunteers. After experiencing both the horrors, anguish and drudgery of Civil War combat, Charley loses his heart and belief in the "adventure" of war. Charley is wounded at Gettysburg and neither his wounds nor his mental anguish ever heal. He dies in December, 1868 at the age of twenty-three.

Battles scenes and Charley's emotions are vividly described. Charley's feelings and reactions to his experiences and events are dark and negative. This book shows the mental anguish and resulting disorder which afflicted many soldiers during the Civil War. It should not be read by anyone with a sensitive mind or heart. Grades 6 - 8

Fictionalized account based on historical records and research on the life of Willie Johnston, a twelve year-old drummer who distinguished himself and served with the Third Vermont regiment of the Union forces in the Civil War. He received the Congressional Medal of Honor on September 16, 1863 and remains the youngest soldier ever to qualify for this highest military decoration.

This is a great book which shows the courage and self-sacrifice which was required of all Civil War soldiers, both Southern and Northern loyalties alike. Grades 4 – 8

Fictionalized account based on historical records and research on the life of Ransom Powell, a fifteen-year-old drummer boy who was captured and imprisoned at Andersonville. He refused to sign a parole that would have secured his release and elected to remain at the prison and fulfill his promise to serve his country and cause. He became the camp drummer boy and helped make the lives of his comrades a little more endurable.

This is a great book which shows how the human spirit can triumph over great adversity.

This story is told from the white, Northern male viewpoint. Grades 4 – 8

Addie's family experiences difficulty and loss after her father dies in the Civil War. Addie's mother uses her skill to sew a beautiful quilt in a checkerboard pattern to be auctioned in the North to raise money. Addie sacrifices her father's red shirt, the only thing she has to remember him by, so her mother can finish the quilt.

This wonderful picture book story about sacrifice contains information about the Civil War and is told from the Southern perspective. It also gives information about the quilt's checkerboard pattern, called Lee's Surrender. It is representative of the checkered top which was on the table rumored to have been used by Lee to sign the surrender documents at Appomattox Court House. This book provides good information about the difficulties and struggles of those who lived during the Civil War in a way that elementary school-aged children can easily understand. Grades 1 – 4

This is a fictionalized account based on the actual friendship between two fifteen-year-old young men: Say Curtis, who is white, and Pinkus Aylee who is black. They form a lasting bond of friendship after a chance meeting in the aftermath of battle and their different allegiances and ethnicities cease to matter. They look out for each other and care for each other's illnesses and injuries until their final separation when they are captured by Confederate soldiers.

This book imparts many lessons: tragedy, shared human kindness, friendship, dignity, acceptance, sacrifice, honor and freedom. It is terrific. Grades 4 - 8

This book contains many contemporary and traditional poems regarding many topics. Poems about War may be found on pages 144-147, The Soldier, by Rupert Brooke and My Boy Jack, by Rudyard Kipling are noteworthy.

This book contains a representative sampling of poems concerning oppression, war, justice, the poor, the red man, and the black man by individuals and/or poets such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Walt Whitman, William Cullen Bryant, Langston Hughes and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. It includes many dates when poems were written and brief notations on the events and/or circumstances concerning some of the poems.

This book is an illustrated collection of poems about war. Within this book, one will find John Brown's Body, attributed to Charles Sprague Hall and Thomas Brigham Bishop, Cavalry Crossing a Ford, by Walt Whitman, and The College Colonel, by Herman Melville. All these poems were written during the Civil War.

This book is a compilation of many poems written for children by African-American poets. The poems cover a broad range of topics. Poems about slavery, Aunt Sue's Stories, and Harriet Tubman, Harriet Tubman, are noteworthy.

Mahaley and Flora are best friends whose fathers have opposite opinions regarding the Civil War. Even though their father's friendship and mutually supporting business enterprises dissolve, the girls manage to preserve their friendship through their separation.

Descriptive and moving story about friendship which illustrates how lives and friendships were torn apart in the Civil War. This is a picture book. Grades 1 – 4

Twelve-year-old Charley Quinn runs away from his New York City home in search of adventure and to fulfill his goal of killing as many Confederates as he can. Even as a fife player, he gets his fill of fear, noise and death after his first taste of battle. He flees the next battle and is captured by Confederate soldiers. A compassionate officer sets him free and he loses himself in the Blue Ridge Mountains where he grows to learn much about the War and himself. Winner of 1987 Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction.

This is a very good growing up story. It teaches many lessons and shows that courage can be defined in many ways. Grades 5 – 8

Truth Hopkins is a twelve-year-old girl who moves to North Carolina to live with relatives when her father becomes too ill to care for her. Truth's family is harassed because of their Quaker pacifist views. Truth's older cousins try to escape to Canada to avoid the family's house being burned for their refusal to join the Confederate Army. They are captured in Virginia and used as "cannon fodder" in the Battle of First Manassass. Truth travels with her uncle via the Underground Railroad to Elmira, New York to try to secure the release of one of her cousins.

Both the Northern and Southern antislavery civilian viewpoints are presented in this story. This book is a great tool to use to discuss intolerance and to point out that bravery is sometimes required when holding onto/acting on individual convictions. An informative author's note can be found in the back of the book. Grades 4 – 8

This story contrasts the construction of a modern day interracial community on the same ground which was the site of a Civil War battleground. A black boy, J.J., and his white friend and friend's father watch the construction of a house on the battlefield site, discuss the Civil War, its effects on people, friendships, and loyalties, and compare it to contemporary events.

The counterpoint used to contrast the building of the modern day community with the events occurring during the Civil War battle is very unique and effective. The book provides a lot of information, not in facts, but it portrays the struggles and issues of the Civil War: friend vs. friend, the enormity of the loss of human life, etc. This is good discussion material for students. It is a good resource and can be used as a multicultural book as well. This is a picture book. Grades 3-5

Ten-year-old Jethro Creighton tells the story of his family's divided loyalties (four brothers fight for the Union, one for the Confederacy) and the ensuing struggles and conflicts they encounter. It descriptively illustrates the divergent opinions of a rural southern Illinois community and the bitterness and hatred shown by many.

This book shows how Jethro's childhood is forfeited to the War and the responsibilities he must assume at home. Jethro matures and changes because of his experiences. Grades 4-7

A young boy ponders possible scenarios that may occur when his father leaves to fight in the Civil War.

This book is so powerful and moving, it can be used for older students even though it has very simple text. This is a picture book. Kindergarten – Grade 8

A fictionalized journal of a sixteen-year-old orphan's experiences as a volunteer Union soldier in the Civil War.

This book is based on actual historical events and realistically describes many aspects of a soldier's life and the true events and experiences of the War. It is very informative.

At the War's end, Will Page, a twelve-year-old Southern boy, loses his entire family in the Civil War's conflict and moves to live with his uncle and aunt in Virginia. He considers his uncle a traitor and coward because he was a conscientious objector and did not support the Confederacy.

Written from a young, white, male Confederate viewpoint, this is a great resource. It shows how one Southern farmer managed to stay neutral in a very polarized environment. It examines divided loyalties, prejudice, and the aftermath of war. It is useful in discussing how one should base one's actions on one's own beliefs, not on what other people may think. Grades 4 - 8

An historically accurate and realistic account of the conversations, dialogue, customs, poems, dances, recipes and songs used in Christmas preparations in Southern plantation houses and slave quarters just before the Civil War. The book gives a step-by-step narrative of preparations in the months and weeks before Christmas and the activities through New Year's Day.

The side-by-side comparison and contrast between the two ways of life is very effective. The reader can gain a lot of understanding concerning various characters' feelings and emotions. The illustrations are beautifully done and carefully created after historical research. Grades 1 – 5

This book is a compilation of historical information concerning the Civil War and first-hand accounts from young soldiers. It vividly illustrates the emotions, impressions and activities of many of the youngest soldiers who participated in the Civil War.

This book is fact-filled and emotion-filled. It comprehensively covers all aspects of the war from the rigors of camp life through the misery and reality of combat, illness, antiquated medical treatment, fear of capture, and imprisonment. Some of the pictures are graphic. The text and first-hand accounts, however, bring history alive in a very dramatic and compelling manner. Grades 4 - 8

This book explores and illustrates how the lives of many children were affected by the Civil War. It provides information about children who joined armies, stayed home and tried to help provide for their families, and of the large numbers that were orphaned because of the conflict.

The book provides information on young boys such as Thomas Garland Jefferson and Johnny Clem who became famous for their bravery during the Civil War. It incorporates many actual photographs of people and events. There are some suggested classroom activities, additional resources, a glossary of terms and civil war websites listed in the back of the book.

Through the eyes of a fictional escaped slave girl, Addy, the events and circumstances impacting African Americans in the North and South during and following the Civil War are illustrated.

This book has a wealth of historical information over many topics. It also uses many photographs, maps, and drawings to provide and enhance further knowledge. The book arranges the information as small "info bites" intertwined with the illustrations which makes it easier and more enjoyable to read. Grades 1-5

This book contains portions of the original diary written by Carrie Berry, a ten-year old Confederate girl who lived in Atlanta during the Civil War. She recorded what life was like being close to the many battles fought in and around Atlanta.

Additional information concerning events and topics included in Carrie's diary entries is included in this book. It also provides directions for making a rag doll which was a popular toy during the Civil War. This is not overly complicated and could be a fun class project. The book also provides a timeline, glossary, additional reading and references resources and information about Carrie's later life in the back of the book. Grades 2-5

This is a small book which provides short, historically accurate vignettes about lesser-known individuals who participated and/or made contributions during the Civil War.

Its information and illustrations make it a good resource for student use. Grades 3-5