Across Five Aprils

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0425182789 ISBN 13: 9780425182789

Publisher: Berkley, 2002

The Newbery Award-winning author of Up a Road Slowly presents the unforgettable story of Jethro Creighton—a brave boy who comes of age during the turbulent years of the Civil War.

In 1861, America is on the cusp of war, and young Jethro Creighton is just nine-years-old. His brother, Tom, and his cousin, Eb, are both of fighting age. As Jethro's family is pulled into the conflict between the North and the South, loyalties are divided, dreams are threatened, and their bonds are put to the test in this heart-wrenching, coming of age story. 

“Drawing from family records and from stories told by her grandfather, the author has, in an uncommonly fine narrative, created living characters and vividly reconstructed a crucial period of history.”—Booklist

About the Author:

Irene Hunt was the author of many distinguished books for young readers. Her first novel, Across Five Aprils, was a Newberry Award nominee and received a Lewis Carroll Shelf Award. Her second novel, Up a Road Slowly, was awarded the Newberry Medal in 1966. Ms. Hunt was born in southern Illinois and received degrees from the University of Illinois and the University of Colorado. For many years she taught in the public schools of northern Illinois, and later taught psychology at the University of South Dakota. She died in 2001.

From AudioFile:

In this 1964 Newbery Medal Honor Book, Jethro is a young farm boy in Illinois when the Civil War erupts. As he and his family confront the terror of war, he takes on huge responsibilities and becomes a wise and compassionate young man. Through conversations, newspaper articles and letters, narrator BrŽgy portrays the distinctive voices and phraseology of an earlier era, along with gentle humor and the reality of war. BrŽgy also projects a sense of wonder as he narrates the splendid text. The final bittersweet vignettes include a letter from Lincoln to Jethro and the story of Lincoln's shocking assassination. Hunt and BrŽgy add an outstanding audio volume to American historical fiction for young people. S.G.B. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine