The Girl He Left Behind: The Life and Times of Libbie Custer (Avisson Young Adult Series)

Grade 5-9–Libbie Custer stood by her man, traveling all over the country on horseback, as her husband went where the army sent him. She lived in tents and endured life as a "camp follower" because the army refused to recognize the military wives. When Custer was killed at the Battle of Little Big Horn, Libbie continued to support him by making sure that his decisions that day were remembered properly and that posterity was kind to him. Readers interested in women's history or hardscrabble frontier life might find Libbie's story interesting. Unfortunately, the writing is uneven and at times, distractingly simplistic. The style and format seem older, but the writing tends toward short, declarative sentences. While this book might be helpful for biography assignments, more fluid readers may be frustrated by it. A few grainy black-and-white photos are scattered throughout.–Lynn Evarts, Sauk Prairie High School, Prairie du Sac, WI
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