A Ballad of the Civil War

by Mary Stolz

a ballad of the civil war

Genres: Historical Fiction, Civil War, Middle Grade, Young Adult, Childrens, War, Juvenile

Unknown Binding

First published May 1, 1997

About the author

Mary Stolz was a noted author for children and adolescents whose novels earned critical praise for the seriousness with which they took the problems of young people. Two of her books ''Belling the Tiger'' (1961) and ''The Noonday Friends'' (1965), were named Newbery Honor books by the ALA but it was her novels for young adults that combined romance with realistic situations that won devotion from her fans. Young men often created more problems and did not always provide happy ever after endings. Her heroines had to cope with complex situations and learn how to take action whether it was working as nurses (The Organdy Cupcakes), living in a housing project (Ready or Not), or escaping from being a social misfit by working for the summer as a waitress (The Sea Gulls Woke Me).

Reviews

[Angela R. Watts · Rating 3 out of 5]

It wasn't bad but it was mediocre and I expected more. That being said, the poem definitely sparks some creativity.

[Kim Hampton · Rating 5 out of 5]

An extremely short story, but I love the fact that it's based on a 19th century ballad, that just happens to be one of my late father's favorite songs. The words are included at the end.

[Max · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was looking for a short easy book to read and this was it. I think it did a pretty good job of showing how the brothers grew apart but I think they should have more historical background. The book itself is mediocre and it doesn’t really solve anything it’s just a bunch of problems and no solution.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very short book and I think would appeal to students who are interested in the Civil War, even if they were not particularly excited about reading. I am always a bit suspicious of books in which the main character takes a moral stance that is opposed to all of his upbringing, but I think this book did a fairly good job of making the two main characters, twin brothers, believable. This book is written simply and is something that a middle grades student could easily understand, but they would need a little background on the causes and issues in the Civil War to really understand it, because it is not really explained here.

[Shelli · Rating 1 out of 5]

Recycling the book and removing from class library. Way better books to introduce readers to the Civil War. In fact, the majority of the book is focused on the entitled white slave owning Rigby family.

[Andrea Renfrow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read aloud for Civil War introduction to elementary age students.

[Danielle Wood · Rating 3 out of 5]

This could be used as a good introduction to a Civil War unit for upper elementary/middle graders. I thought it did a good job showing how brothers can disagree and how hard that can be.

[Stacy Croushorn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shows how the effects of war causes family angst.

[Yoelle Yosef]

A Ballad of the Civil War

The book A Ballad of the Civil War is about two twin brothers named Tom and Jack during the civil war who have a best friend named Aaron who is there slave, but one day on there 19th birthday find out that Aaron is missing and they are worried about him.

I think that the theme of this book is slavery can hurt people because through out the whole book Tom becomes more and more worried about where Aaron could be but Jack becomes more and more mean and saying rude things about the "Black" slave Aaron.

I did not enjoy this book because I just did not enjoy that it was too short and did not talk a lot about how they are going to find Aaron but the memories that they had together.

[Miss Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

gr 4-7 51pgs

1850-1862 Based on a 19th century ballad. Tells the story of twin boys growing up on their family's plantation. When twins turn 9 years old, Tom and Jack's slave Aaron is sent from the Big House. The twins react very differently. Tom is angry, but Jack seems not to care. From that point on, the twins continue to do things together, but the issue of slavery is something they never agree on. When the war breaks out, the brothers find themselves on opposite sides of the conflict...

Short, but good. Recommended for readers interested in a quick read showing how the Civil War affected families.

[Diana Pettis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This moving chapter book is inspired by a 19th-century ballad that the award-winning author learned as a child. In a dramatic story, twin sons of a plantation owner share everything except their different beliefs about slavery. As political tensions rise in the South, the brothers are caught between passion for their causes and their love for each other.


Lexile 680; DRA 44, Guided Reading T

Themes: war/conflicts, civil war, siblings

[Eva · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a good idea for a book, but I feel like the author did a bad job. Most of the characters were 2-dimensional. They all had one defining fact and nothing else. I was reading this book to learn about the civil war, but I barely learned anything. Yes, some family's didn't agree about slavery. You could have told that to me in one sentence. Since I did not enjoy this book or learn much I don't see the point. I think this could have been a very good book if only it was written better.

[Rose Goodwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author wrote this story centered around an actual Civil War ballad. The story is fictional, but has truths in it. I would use this book to help children see how awful the Civil War was because it tore families apart, but how necessary it was to free the slaves. I thought this would be a story that would keep the childrens' attention.

[av · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading the reviews, I feel like a lot of people don't like this book, but I really do. It gets me every time. Keep in mind I'm seventeen and this isn't normally the type of book I read, but it's so sad and it really manages to make you care about the characters in fifty pages, which is an impressive feat.

[Bridget · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really good beginning and middle. I didn't care for the ending...I was looking/hoping for more closure.

[Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like the premise of this story, and I understand why it was so short. However, I think being so short it missed major elements of the plot. Adding detail and depth to the characters with a few more pages would be beneficial.

[Tam Newell · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read this with some of my fifth grade boys, who enjoy story lines with war settings. The premise was good, but it was just ok. The characters of the boys weren't developed enough -- in fact we couldn't remember which twin sided with North.

[Nancy Rosen]

Slim volume provides a good introduction to the Civil War and civil war in general, what it meant to be a slave in antebellum south. Also, intro to the creative process, discussion of family vs other loyalties, etc. Most students liked it a lot. Read with class of 2011-2012 and some others.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Used with my Civil War unit in the classroom. Great example of brothers pitted against each other.

[Tony Petry · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great heart-warming story.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

YES YES YES six stars

[Alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This touching short story about twin boys who chose to fight for opposing sides during the Civil War made me cry.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful short book about two brothers and the events that led them to fight on different sides of the civil war.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent story for young people to learn about how the Civil War tore not only our country apart but families as well.

[Deborah Harris]

AR Quiz No. 30338 EN Fiction
Accelerated Reader Quiz Information IL: MG - BL: 4.0 - AR Pts: 1.0
Accelerated Reader Quiz Type Information AR Quiz Types: RP, VP

[Duce Escott · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a good short book about two twins (brothers) during the slave period. It is also about when they grow, and go to war (Civil War).

[Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Super short. Read it with a few 6th graders and they were dying of boredom. The characters weren't developed enough to care about them. Eh.

[Chelsea DeBarge · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book would be a hard one for some students to get through, because of the setting. I️ definitely liked this book, but I️ like history.

[Veronica · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short book based on a Civil War ballad about two little boys... is there room on your horse for two?