From Slave to Soldier: Based on a True Civil War Story (Ready-to-Read Level 3)

by Deborah Hopkinson, Brian Floca (Illustrator)

Overview

Johnny loves his Uncle Silas and his master's mule, Nell, but he hates being a slave. So when a group of soldiers marches by the farm and asks Johnny if he wants to join the Union Army, Johnny accepts, even though it means leaving Uncle Silas and Nell.
Being a soldier isn't easy. Johnny is given a chance to work with a soldier named Dave and the company's mule team, but he still wonders if he has made the right choice.
Then one night a hungry patrol is out on watch across the river from the camp, with no one to bring them food. Can Johnny handle the mule team all by himself?
This story was inspired by the life of John McCline, who, as a young boy, escaped slavery to serve in the Union Army.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780689839658
Publisher:	Simon Spotlight
Publication date:	10/01/2005
Series:	Ready-to-Read
Edition description:	Repackage
Pages:	48
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	530L (what's this?)
Age Range:	6 - 8 Years

About the Author

Deborah Hopkinson is the author of numerous award-winning children's books, including Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt, winner of the International Literacy Association Award; Girl Wonder, winner of the Great Lakes Book Award; and Apples to Oregon, a Junior Library Guild Selection. She received the 2003 Washington State Book Award for Under the Quilt of Night. She lives in Oregon. Visit her online at DeborahHopkinson.com.

Brian Floca is the author and illustrator of the acclaimed picture books Locomotive, winner of the Caldecott Medal and a New York Times bestseller; Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11; and Lightship, each a Robert F. Sibert Honor Book. He is the illustrator of numerous additional books, including Avi’s Poppy series. You can visit him online at BrianFloca.com.

Editorial Reviews

Gr 1-3-In simple sentences for those who have just begun to read proficiently, Hopkinson tells the story of a slave boy who runs away to join the Union army. Short chapters and detailed watercolors aid the transition to more difficult text, while an exciting plot based on a true Civil War story keeps readers interested. No fighting is portrayed; the story centers on a harrowing trip Johnny makes to take supplies to a team of soldiers. A worthwhile addition to beginning chapter-book collections.-Anne Knickerbocker, formerly at Cedar Brook Elementary School, Houston, TX Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

Johnny loves his Uncle Silas, his mule Nell and the cows he herds back and forth each day. But he does not love being a slave. And when Uncle Silas plants the idea of service in the Union army in Johnny's brain, it's pretty easy for him to join up with Company C as it marches through the Hogatt farm. Adding to the Ready-to-Read early reading series, Hopkinson brings her research and storytelling talents to another little-known chapter in U.S. history for children. Floca's simple, flat watercolors match the straightforward prose, and the blue-washed night scenes match the tension as Johnny performs an act of heroism to save the company. Though the acceptance the white soldiers show to their new recruit seems unreal, a helpful author's note documents the kindness of these particular Union soldiers. Young Civil War buffs will welcome something they can read themselves. (Nonfiction. 5-8)

Kirkus Reviews