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Black Angels
The compelling story of three young orphans who must survive on their own during the Civil War. It?s near the end of the war, and rumors of emancipation are swirling. Eleven-year-old Luke decides to run away to freedom and join the Union Army. But he doesn?t find the Yankee troops he was hoping for. Instead, he finds nine-year-old Daylily, lost in the woods after suffering an unspeakable tragedy. Her master set her free, but freedom so far has her scared and alone. Also lost in the woods is seven-year-old Caswell, the son of a plantation owner. He was only trying to find his Mamadear after the Yankees burned their house with all their fine things. He wanted to be brave. But alone in the woods with two slave children, he quickly loses all his courage, and comes to greatly depend upon his new friends. In the chaos and violence that follows, the three unrelated children discover a bond in each other stronger than family. A touching, beautifully written narrative, Black Angels is a riveting, special read.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published February 17, 2009
7 people are currently reading
129 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
November 29, 2009
For those who love stories set in the Civil War period, this is the book for you. This story transcends race. Black Angels is the story of Luke, a runaway slave, Daylily a slave whose master set her free and Caswell the white son of a plantation. These three children find themselves thrust together. Luke finds Daylily wandering around and Caswell joins them after the rebels burn their plantation. The three set off for the north hoping to find what they are each looking for. However, they learn that things in the north are not a whole lot different than things in the south when it comes to the color of your skin. I have read a lot of emotionally charged books lately and this one that I want my students to read. I am hoping that I can use the emotions I felt while reading this book to interest my students into picking it up.
April 23, 2021
best book ever
May 5, 2010
I have read quite a few books about the Civil War and its stories still continue to amaze me. Black Angels is one of the more "hard-core", if you will, books I've read about this subject because it carries the weight of young perspectives and a whole lot of gritty truth. Not only were Will, Daylily, and Caswell lost and alone, they faced things that many adults may not have ever had to go through. I think I liked this book because of it's vividness and honesty. If you don't have those things, you don't have a truthful story. Life was harsh back then and Brown did a fascinating job on capturing not only with the terrible battle scenes and struggles, but the language of the characters as well. I felt, even though Will (the oldest character in the book) is only eleven, his voice will hold an older reader's attention as well as someone as young as himself; and although the old timey language may put some off, I still think it's a great addition to the story and the character's personalities.
The only thing that I happen to dislike about Civil War era books is that they describe the Civil War as being about acceptance and freeing slaves. The Civil War was not about the slaves, it was about power and money--black slaves were just part of the bargain. I didn't much care for the ending either because it just stopped with Will, Daylily, and Caswell seeing each other again for the first time in ten years. I would have liked to find out what happened to them, but I guess Brown left that up to your imagination.
With that said, Black Angels is still a honest and breath taking story about the Civil War. I would recommend to tweens and young adults who like history or just a good timeless tale of courage and hope.
|Age Group: Ages 11+|
|Content: Some sensuality and some graphic details of gore|
|Recommend?| Yes
Courtesy of booksandliteratureforteens.blogspot.com
The only thing that I happen to dislike about Civil War era books is that they describe the Civil War as being about acceptance and freeing slaves. The Civil War was not about the slaves, it was about power and money--black slaves were just part of the bargain. I didn't much care for the ending either because it just stopped with Will, Daylily, and Caswell seeing each other again for the first time in ten years. I would have liked to find out what happened to them, but I guess Brown left that up to your imagination.
With that said, Black Angels is still a honest and breath taking story about the Civil War. I would recommend to tweens and young adults who like history or just a good timeless tale of courage and hope.
|Age Group: Ages 11+|
|Content: Some sensuality and some graphic details of gore|
|Recommend?| Yes
Courtesy of booksandliteratureforteens.blogspot.com
September 21, 2009
Eleven-year-old Luke breaks into his master’s gun case, steals a rifle, and sets out to meet up with four slaves running to join the Union cause. No one said Luke could come, but he figures they won’t turn him away when he shows up at the meeting place. Something goes wrong, and instead of meeting up with them, he finds two younger children wandering in the woods: nine-year-old Daylily, another slave; and seven-year-old Caswell, a white boy. The two become Luke’s responsibility, much as he resents it at first. It is up to him to organize their survival, hunting for food, cooking, keeping them away from fighting on both sides of the war, and making clear to Caswell that he no can longer throw any privileges around.
Ultimately Daylily becomes very ill, and the three are taken in by Betty, a half-Seminole, half-black spy who has been toasting her bread on both sides, so to speak, and has also been stealing supplies from both armies. Luke is appalled to discover this and when Betty gets caught, and then rescued by the children, she sees the error of her ways–and she also has to send them on Northward now that she’s become known.
As the War is winding up, the three children, who have come to feel like brothers and sisters, vow to meet up again at Betty’s cabin in the woods in ten years. As each of them sets forth into a post-war life, none of them know what their future will bring, but their reunion ten years later shows that each in their own way stayed true to the others.
Ultimately Daylily becomes very ill, and the three are taken in by Betty, a half-Seminole, half-black spy who has been toasting her bread on both sides, so to speak, and has also been stealing supplies from both armies. Luke is appalled to discover this and when Betty gets caught, and then rescued by the children, she sees the error of her ways–and she also has to send them on Northward now that she’s become known.
As the War is winding up, the three children, who have come to feel like brothers and sisters, vow to meet up again at Betty’s cabin in the woods in ten years. As each of them sets forth into a post-war life, none of them know what their future will bring, but their reunion ten years later shows that each in their own way stayed true to the others.
April 9, 2015
Three orphans Luke, Daylily, and Caswell must learn to survive and trust each other during the Civil War. Although Caswell is white and the others are former black slaves he is dependent on them for survival being the youngest. Struggling through the forest and towns, keeping away from guards and battles these three go through much together. One eventually falls ill, and luckily they are able to find help. A woman helps keep them safe and cared for. But once they are all healthy will they leave or will they help her with her work? What is to come of their friendships? Is there hope?
This book made me cry. It is beautifully written, but in a few cases has some hard themes to deal with. Going in and out of what is normal, and what the children are experiencing you get a whole new set or eyes on the Civil War and the devastation it left in our country.
This book made me cry. It is beautifully written, but in a few cases has some hard themes to deal with. Going in and out of what is normal, and what the children are experiencing you get a whole new set or eyes on the Civil War and the devastation it left in our country.
October 1, 2009
I received this book in the mail two days ago and dove right into it. It is a beautiful story about the power of friendship, and overcoming prejudices about people who are different. The three children's voices were very real, and I fell in love with each one of them, hoping they would each get a happy ending. The author did a wonderful job portraying the time period during the civil war, and how awful it was for everyone involved. I normally don't read a lot of novels about war, but since this was more of a middle-grade novel, featuring an 11, 9, and a 7 year old as the main character's, I enjoyed it a lot more. I highly recommend this book to everyone. It is a wonderful story of courage, friendship, and hope, guaranteed to tug at your heart.
December 28, 2009
Historical fiction, civil war.
Three children are misplaced in the South during the Civil war (one girl and two boys). Two black and one white. They travel for a number of days until they meet up with Betty a Native American who is a spy.
This definitely isn't a Mildred D Taylor book or a Jacqueline Woodson book. It was just okay. Sometimes the dialogue between the 3 children dragged and drove me crazy, plus it took me forever to finish this book. This wasn't a believable story to me.....but I am not a historian or civil war expert....so maybe 3 kids could survive during this time period.
Amazingly I cried at the end of the story when ten years later all 3 children met back at Betty's cabin.
Three children are misplaced in the South during the Civil war (one girl and two boys). Two black and one white. They travel for a number of days until they meet up with Betty a Native American who is a spy.
This definitely isn't a Mildred D Taylor book or a Jacqueline Woodson book. It was just okay. Sometimes the dialogue between the 3 children dragged and drove me crazy, plus it took me forever to finish this book. This wasn't a believable story to me.....but I am not a historian or civil war expert....so maybe 3 kids could survive during this time period.
Amazingly I cried at the end of the story when ten years later all 3 children met back at Betty's cabin.
October 28, 2024
Language - PG13 (26 swears, 0 "f"), Sexual Content - G; Violence - PG
Luke, Daylily, and Caswell are all out in the woods because of one main cause: the civil war. They find each other in the woods and soon become friends to survive. They stay together through hunger, sickness, and everything else because all they have is each other.
This is the best historical fiction book I have ever read. I enjoyed the action and tribulation the was caused and I loved how much they cared about each other even though they only knew each other a short while. But the thing I loved most was that they made an unbreakable friendship and kept their promise to each other.
Reviewed for https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/
Luke, Daylily, and Caswell are all out in the woods because of one main cause: the civil war. They find each other in the woods and soon become friends to survive. They stay together through hunger, sickness, and everything else because all they have is each other.
This is the best historical fiction book I have ever read. I enjoyed the action and tribulation the was caused and I loved how much they cared about each other even though they only knew each other a short while. But the thing I loved most was that they made an unbreakable friendship and kept their promise to each other.
Reviewed for https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/
May 16, 2010
Let me start by saying this: the characters in this book are 7, 9 & 11. However, it is definitely a young adult book. But what young adult is going to read a book about school-aged children?
So, why is this book not meant for 4th-5th graders? Because it is incredibly violent. The front cover has an 11-year-old child standing there with a rifle over his shoulder! Granted, during the 1800's children did know how to use firearms; but must it be shown on the cover?! Plus there's a bit of a language issue. Not swear words, necessarily, but some racial terms that young kids aren't really going to be able to fit into the context of the story.
Seriously?
So, why is this book not meant for 4th-5th graders? Because it is incredibly violent. The front cover has an 11-year-old child standing there with a rifle over his shoulder! Granted, during the 1800's children did know how to use firearms; but must it be shown on the cover?! Plus there's a bit of a language issue. Not swear words, necessarily, but some racial terms that young kids aren't really going to be able to fit into the context of the story.
Seriously?
July 11, 2011
A fascinating story of the Civil War and the chaos it created. It sounds unlikely that a run-away slave would join up with a white child, a freed slave, and a part Seminole woman. But, it seems believeable enough during the war setting described.
The only problem with this book is the many dialects of the characters-- rich whites, poor whites, and slaves all spoke very differently during this time. I wished the author wasn't quite so authentic-- it took away from the flow of the story and made it really hard to read!
The only problem with this book is the many dialects of the characters-- rich whites, poor whites, and slaves all spoke very differently during this time. I wished the author wasn't quite so authentic-- it took away from the flow of the story and made it really hard to read!
June 8, 2013
When the world fall apart in the war torn Civil War South three children come together to survive a life too close to the battlefield and the brutality of the time. This books is available for check out at the Gadsden County Public Library.
September 26, 2009
An unlikely trio experience the true horrors of the Civil War era in which they live in this brutal survival story.
January 27, 2010
The end was rushed, but an unflinching perspective on the strength of friendship during the Civil War.
July 18, 2010
Middle Grade book, but just as good for adults!
December 16, 2012
2.5 stars. I liked parts of it, but mostly it was just OK for me. I did appreciate that it did not whitewash war and its affects on children and non-combatants.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews