Historical Fiction Civil War Style

Lizzie is fourteen years old in 1863. The battle between the states is raging on and her home of Vicksburg is under siege. In order to protect themselves from cannons Lizzie's family takes refuge inside caves.

Living inside a cave with creepy crawly bugs and snakes and other creatures doesn't sit well with Lizzie. In fact she wants to run away and fight for the South. Later Lizzie finds out that war isn't what she thought it would be and she is faced with some harsh realities.

I enjoyed this book. At first I thought the story was going to go down the same predictable road that many YA HF novels go, but Ms. McClure threw a curve ball in there which I really liked.

I think students who like historical fiction will enjoy this novel.

I want it Wednesday

I had no idea there was a sequel to Push by Sapphire. I loved that book, it was amazing and this one is the story of Precious' child.

It hasn't gotten very good reviews on Amazon. I think it has a 2 star review rating; but I thought it might be worth mentioning. Lets face it books that have received glowing reviews I have disliked. So you be the judge!

Summary:

In The Kid bestselling author Sapphire tells the electrifying story of Abdul Jones, the son of Push's unforgettable heroine, Precious.

A story of body and spirit, rooted in the hungers of flesh and of the soul, The Kid brings us deep into the interior life of Abdul Jones. We meet him at age nine, on the day of his mother's funeral. Left alone to navigate a world in which love and hate sometimes hideously masquerade, forced to confront unspeakable violence, his history, and the dark corners of his own heart, Abdul claws his way toward adulthood and toward an identity he can stand behind.

In a generational story that moves with the speed of thought from a Mississippi dirt farm to Harlem in its heyday; from a troubled Catholic orphanage to downtown artist's lofts, The Kid tells of a twenty- first-century young man's fight to find a way toward the future. A testament to the ferocity of the human spirit and the deep nourishing power of love and of art, The Kid chronicles a young man about to take flight. In the intimate, terrifying, and deeply alive story of Abdul's journey, we are witness to an artist's birth by fire.