Soldier Boy

by Brian Burks

This gripping historical novel set during the final years of the Indian Wars explores army life in the American West as it details one boy’s struggle to become a man.

Genres: Historical Fiction

151 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Brian Burks lives in Tularosa, New Mexico.

Reviews

[Whit]

I learned of the struggles of army life, and that someone who is alone can do great things.

[Andrew]

Read this when I was about 12, probably around the perfect age to read it.

[Suzanne Brayton]

Another young adult novel. I was intrigued by this story as i love History. It had a few interesting points about the Little Big Horn.

This was a simple read, had some interesting details about how soldiers were recruited. Also added a little bit to our knowledge of General Custer.

[penelopewanders]

Read this thinking it might be something to do with my class some time. It was a good story, although there would be a lot of background material to fill in with a general EFL class (and it's a bit too easy otherwise)... found the end a bit surprising. Made me want to watch Little Big Man (with Dustin Hoffman) again.

[Cadei]

this was a pretty good book. you get to learn about the army back in the old days. it is suprising how much has changed and you get to learn all about it. this book doesnt start out boring either. its exciting the whole way throught the book. the ending is even better than the begining. i hope more people read this book.

[SFrick]

Soldier Boy was excellent and action packed.
The detailed account gave one a feel for the reality of that time in our country's history.
I wished the author spoke more about one of the characters named The Scholar.

I found the conversations between him and the main character,
Johnny ``The Kid'' McBane, thought provoking.

While some have argued about the " introductory note's mention of being, `thoroughly researched historical data''", less than the truth, I repeat, it gave one a feel of the times.

Also included is a bibliography for the interested reader to peruse.

[Sara Carmona]

This was a nice short novel about a boy in Colonel Custer's army. Great detail helped me imagine what it might be like in a post civil war cavalry. And it's historically accurate. Probably not for anyone younger than fifth grade. Main character is 16, but it was easy to read and understand.