Here and Then - Hardcover

Lyon, George Ella

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0531068668 ISBN 13: 9780531068663

Publisher: Orchard Books, 1994

Synopsis

Through ghostly visitation and a diary that seems mysteriously to write itself with twelve-year-old Abby's hands, a Civil War nurse asks for help with medical supplies across an abyss of 133 years

About this title

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-7-In a first-person narrative, 12-year-old Abby tells what she knows to be true-that 40-year-old Eliza Hoskins, the "Angel of Camp Robinson," has requested supplies from her to treat her sick and wounded Civil War soliders. Abby and her parents are part of a group of modern-day "reenactors" who have just spent a weekend at the camp near Lexington, Kentucky. When Abby, playing the part of Eliza, begins a journal, she realizes that the voice is not her own but rather it is Eliza's, asking for help. After convincing her practical friend Harper of the truth of what has happened, the girls work out ways to raise money and buy supplies. With Eliza's intervention, Abby is able to deliver them to 1861. Lyon's evocative style convinces Harper and readers that extraordinary times lead to extraordinary events. The theme of "war is hell" is movingly conveyed by a tightly woven plot and a strong sense of place.
Amy Kellman, The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Publishers Weekly

Joining her history-buff parents for a weekend reenactment of the Civil War at Camp Robinson, Ky., seventh-grader Abby "gets into character" by keeping a journal for Eliza, the 40-year-old nurse she is to portray. The past intertwines with the present when Abby realizes her writing is being guided by the restless spirit of her character-dead nearly 80 years-who sends an urgent message to bring more supplies forthe wounded soldiers. With the help of a skeptical but loyal friend, Abby collects blankets, bandages and medicine, and transports them back in time. While much of the book, particularly the girls' door-to-door solicitation of money for their cause, is infused with tongue-in-cheek humor, Abby's journey to another century proves to be poignant as well as eerie. Compelling if not altogether meaty, Lyon's (Red Rover, Red Rover; Borrowed Children) slim novel about ghostly encounters and transfigurations quite literally brings history to life. Ages 10-12.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Orchard Books
• Publication date: 1994
• ISBN 10: 0531068668
• ISBN 13: 9780531068663
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 114