"An absorbing history of Company K, from riveting battlefield narratives and vivid accounts of horrors endured at Andersonville Prison to tales of poverty due to pension benefits denied."—Booklist, Starred Review

"Meticulous research and inclusion of historical photographs, maps, letters, and other Civil War-era documents, as well as the smooth integration of primary source quotes, provide a solid nonfiction target worthy of shelf space. However, it's the final chapter and epilogue recounting life after the war that give a human depth to the soldiers' lives and place this work squarely in the bull's-eye. Hits the mark."—Kirkus

Praise for Champion: The Comeback Tale of the American Chestnut Tree:

A Junior Library Guild selection and a National Council of Teachers of English 2019 Orbis Pictus Honor Book.

"A compelling, inspiring true story of a species rescued from extinction through decades of determined innovation." —Kirkus

"The award-winning nonfiction author brings to light the intriguing story of the beleaguered American chestnut tree . . . . Fascinating and well-sourced." —School Library Journal

Praise for Blizzard of Glass: The Halifax Explosion of 1917:

“Riveting.” —Kirkus, Starred Review

“Halifax does indeed have a story to tell, but Walker once again proves that it's her consummate gifts as a storyteller that breathe life into the tale.” —The Horn Book

“This tragic, but well-told story belongs in most collections.” —School Library Journal

07/01/2020

Gr 5–8—Even though more than 20,000 Native Americans enlisted and fought for both the North and the South during the American Civil War, their stories are rarely told. This thoroughly researched nonfiction title spotlights Michigan's Anishinaabe sharpshooters from Company K, the Union Army's largest all-Native company east of the Mississippi River. Detailed, first-hand accounts introduce listeners to the soldiers and their families while also exploring motivations for enlisting. Early chapters focus on traditional Anishinaabe customs and how Native Americans dealt with colonization of their lands. Later chapters recount Company K's involvement in some of the Civil War's deadliest battles, including the Battle of the Wilderness, Petersburg, and the Battle of the Crater. Listeners will appreciate narrator Darrell Dennis sharing these soldiers' own words from letters and diary entries; however, they miss out on seeing the many maps, photographs, and other documents included in the printed book. VERDICT This title fills a hole in many Civil War collections and will be well-received by history buffs.—Anne Bosievich, Friendship Elem. Sch., Glen Rock, PA

2019-06-16
Anishinaabe soldiers with the 1st Michigan Sharpshooters aim to turn the tide of the Civil War in favor of the Union.

Of the approximately 20,000 "American Indians" who served during the Civil War, Sibert winner Walker (Secrets of a Civil War Submarine, 2005) shares stories of several Company K veterans who fought for the Union. From the foundations of soldiers' prewar lives—rooted in tradition yet influenced by America's expansion—to their initial muster/shooting qualifications test and on to their first assignment guarding Confederate prisoners at Camp Douglas in Chicago, the first six chapters build anticipation for the battles that follow. When the warriors of Company K finally engage the enemy in a battle known as the Wilderness, it's a wonder how any of them escape capture let alone survive to wage other campaigns critical to ending the war. Whether enlisting to "abolish slavery or to safeguard their homeland," the Anishinaabe of Company K did so as noncitizens of the United States, volunteering to fight despite broken treaties and active attempts to eliminate Native peoples. Meticulous research and inclusion of historical photographs, maps, letters, and other Civil War-era documents, as well as the smooth integration of primary source quotes, provide a solid nonfiction target worthy of shelf space. However, it's the final chapter and epilogue recounting life after the war that give a human depth to the soldiers' lives and place this work squarely in the bull's-eye.

Hits the mark. (foreword, note to the reader, muster roll, prologue, author's note, appendices, glossary, select bibliography, source notes, index) (Nonfiction. 10-14)