Battle Cry

by Jan Neubert Schultz

In 1862, two best friends, one white and one half Dakota Indian, find themselves involved in a bloody war when the Dakotas, fed up with being mistreated by the federal government and local citizens, erupt with violence.

240 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Jan Neubert Schultz grew up in Mankato, MN, and graduated from Minnesota State University, Mankato. She has taught second and third grades, and more recently, Early Childhood. She now lives with her husband along the bluffs of the Minnesota River Valley on a farm that was homesteaded by the Schultz family in 1869. A fifth-generation Minnesotan, Ms. Schultz has been fascinated since childhood by the stories that have been handed down in her family and by the people and events that have shaped Minnesota's history.

Reviews

[Crystal]

Children’s Literature
Crystal Rodriguez

Title: Battle Cry Historical Fiction-Upper
Author: Jan Neubert Schultz
Place of Publication: Minneapolis, MN
Date: 2006 Pages: 240

This story takes place in 1862 giving a vivid account of the war between the Dakota Indians and the white man. Not only are you exposed to a realistic scene of war, but you are learning of a true friendship between the expected enemies. I was able to feel the agony between two people with the desire to be true to their community while also being true to each other.
Historical Fiction is a fantastic genre, especially for children. It enables the reader to become educated about a place and time in the context of a story rather than a text book. I am always in “awe” as I learn about the past and the means by which people communicated, lived, and survived. What is also evident is there commitment to each other, to their neighbor.
I think by learning and appreciating societies that existed before ours today, we can understand ourselves better. We can begin to examine current viewpoints and stereotypes, questioning the origin and dissecting our own beliefs, challenging ourselves to be better people. Being able to empathize with others is the core of humanity; we should be doing more of this.
This story causes me reflect on today’s society and our style of conflict resolution, still using war. I would think that after hundreds of years of human beings dying, we as a human race would become capable of using less destructive means to resolve our conflicts with others. Maybe there is no other way, but I am optimistic. Reading this story, you learn of so many lives lost and families torn apart. It is truly a sad, sad time.

[Rachel]

Crack open Battle Cry and find yourself transported to the wild Minnesota frontier. Tensions between the whites and Dakotas are high, and sixteen-year-old Johnny suddenly finds himself in the midst of battle where there is never a dull moment. Intense and action-packed, Battle Cry includes plenty of gunfights, Indian battles and dangerous rendezvous.

Young Johnny is a tough yet likable character and makes for an excellent role model. He has the determination, loyalty and grit necessary to rescue those in need. I especially liked that the book is more than a historical retelling of the 1862 Dakota Conflict but an up-close look at the attitudes and feelings of those white settlers and Dakota tribes involved. Battle Cry brings American history to life while being thoroughly engaging and highly entertaining.

Written for compassbookratings.com

Content Analysis:

PROFANITY/LANGUAGE: 10 religious exclamations; 2 mild obscenities

Profanity/Language Rating Recommendation: 2

VIOLENCE/GORE: A character is cut with a razor across his face; several battles occur where people are shot; numerous explosions cause damage to a fort; Dakota prisoners are assaulted by an angry mob; a man drowns; a deer is killed and skinned; characters come across the aftermath of a massacre and see puddles of blood surrounding bloated and “hacked up” bodies; around forty Dakotas are hung from gallows.

Violence/Gore Rating Recommendation: 7

SEXUAL CONTENT: none

Sex/Nudity Rating Recommendation: 0

MATURE THEMES: Death, war, robbery/thieving, murder and racial injustice

DRUG AND ALCOHOL USE: Indians drink to celebrate their war victory

[Jared M]

I thought Battle Cry by Jan Neubert Schultz was a good book. It was packed with action and when I got to the very end where it said it was based on a true story I was very surprised. I thought was too action packed and dramatic to be non fiction.
The book was about the Native Americans and white settlers going to war with each other. In the story there was a white boy named Johnny and his best friend Chaska who was a mix of Indian and white. When they went to war Chaska and his father sided with the whites knowing the war was a lost cause. When Indians started looting and killing white civilians, settlers are frantic to to kill all Indians. At the end there is a huge problem when the war is over with surrendered Indians and other civilian Indians. Johnny is forced to do some investigating to solve the problems.
I would recommend this book to anyone that likes non fiction war books or action books because this book delivers to those kinds of people.

[Evan Ziker]

Battle Cry may be one of my favorite books of all time! This book is about Johhny's life in the 1800s. He lives in an Indian community with his white family. When war breaks out between the whites and the Indians, Johnny must chose between his best friend and family. Will Johny survive? Who will win in this small battle? I think that young kids would like this book
because of the action and adventure. I liked this book a lot because of johhnys role. I feel like we are very alike because we are nice.

[Ben Oliver]

I didn't like this book that much. It was to confusing with all the town names and peoples names. It should of had much more action and not just war after war after war. that's what made it boring because they did the same thing over and over again. i recommend you don't read this book.