Cooke, Tim Causes of the War: 1800–1861
Middle school 48 pp. Smart Apple 2012
Cooke, Tim The Confederacy Advances: 1861–1862
Middle school 48 pp. Smart Apple 2012
Cooke, Tim Home Front: 1861–1865
Middle school 48 pp. Smart Apple 2012
Cooke, Tim Politics of the War: 1861–1865
Middle school 48 pp. Smart Apple 2012
Cooke, Tim Triumph of the Union: 1864–1865
Middle school 48 pp. Smart Apple 2012
Cooke, Tim The Turning Point: 1863
Middle school 48 pp. Smart Apple 2012
Civil War Highlights series. The events leading up to, during, and following the Civil War are chronicled in this series. Each volume relates information clearly; sidebars effectively extend the text; and maps, illustrations and archival photos are well-placed. A perspective-widening timeline setting the war’s progress alongside other national events runs through every page. Appended quizzes help cement what readers have learned. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind.
Subjects: History, American—Civil War; Slavery; Southern States; Politics
Gourley, Catherine The Horrors of Andersonville: Life and Death Inside a Civil War Prison
High school 192 pp. Twenty-First Century 2010
This volume details the history of the Confederate prisoner-of-war camp at Andersonville, Georgia, using official records and the personal recollections of both Confederate and Union soldiers. The book also provides biographical information about Captain Wirz, the camp commandant and only person charged with crimes connected with the camp. Period photographs, art, and numerous sidebars help shed light on the horrible conditions at Andersonville. Reading list, websites. Bib., ind.
Subjects: North America; History, American—Civil War; Prisons and prisoners; Georgia
Jones, Carrie Sarah Emma Edmonds Was a Great Pretender: The True Story of a Civil War Spy
Gr. K–3 32 pp. Carolrhoda 2011
Illustrated by Mark Oldroyd. Sarah Edmonds, disguised as a man, fought alongside and spied for Union troops during the Civil War. Jones enumerates these feats with touches of humor, and she continues Sarah’s story throughout the war and her subsequent marriage. Oldroyd makes effective use of broad, rough-hewn brush strokes, particularly in creating an impressionistic background that frequently allows a detailed illustration of Sarah to take center stage. Bib.
Subjects: Individual Biographies; Women—Spies; History, American—Civil War; Women—Biographies; Spies; Edmonds, Sarah Emma; Gender roles; Nurses; Women—Nurses; Soldiers
Kostyal, K. M. 1862, Fredericksburg: A New Look at a Bitter Civil War Battle
Gr. 4–6 48 pp. National (National Geographic Books) 2011
Photographs by Lori Epstein. This book presents an overview of the clashes between the Union and Confederate armies in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, strategically located between Richmond, VA, and Washington, D.C. Emphasis is on the devastating battle of December 1862, during which “the Union loses badly.” Eyewitness accounts, written in letters and diaries, enhance the historical narrative, as do photographs of battle reenactors. Timeline. Bib., ind.
Subjects: North America; History, American—Civil War; Virginia
Rosenberg, Aaron The Civil War: One Event, Six People
Gr. 4–6 160 pp. Scholastic 2011
Profiles series. This volume profiles six important Civil War figures: Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, Clara Barton, George McClellan, Robert E. Lee, and Mathew Brady. Biographical information is well tied to key historical events. Supplemented with black-and-white drawings and photos (some color-tinted), these readable and informative short sketches may motivate readers to do further research on the period. Websites. Bib., ind.
Subjects: Collective Biographies; History, American—Civil War
From the January 2013 issue of Nonfiction Notes from the Horn Book.
