"Across Five Aprils" by Irene Hunt

"Across Five Aprils" is a novel that portrays the conflicts created by the Civil War, from the point of view of a boy name Jethro Creighton. Jethro and his family live in southern Illinois, on the border on the Union and the Confederation. As friends, family members, and his teacher take sides in the war, go in separate directions, and, for some, die, Jethro tries to figure out where he stands on the issues, and where his loyalties lie. This book uses Jethro to help us see the issues underlying the Civil War.
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