Reread this today. I have no idea how many times I've read it. It's been a lot.

I'm twice the main character's age, got through the whole book in probably under 40 minutes, and it's still good.

The reading level is far below mine but it has important things to say and says them well. It touched my heart. ( )

Virginia Dickens has promised to keep a journal for her older brother Jed. And Ginny finds plenty to write about: Pennsylvania Volunteers arrive in the town square reporting a big battle in Virginia and calling for more men to join their ranks. Rumors fly that the Rebs are headed to Gettysburg, and the Battle of Gettysburg ensues. Suddenly, Ginny's quiet town is filled with the injured.

Ginny's brother Jed has joined the Union army, and they find him wounded in a makeshift hospital. With Ginny's nursing, he recovers, and Ginny is is able to witness the President's Gettysburg Address.

I thought this book was a great book to read to students while learning about the Civil War. It is easy to read, yet engaging and eye-opening to students. It is a great book for students to read to get the point of view of a child who was alive and lived through the battles. ( )

This entire series is a wonderful way to learn history or teach it to adolescents. I find today's generations seem to recall more when they learn through other people (pop songs, celebrity gossip, etc.), so what better way to teach history than through someone else's perspective? Yes, "authentic" diaries would be "better", but would the language really hold the modern student's attention? Did the diary writer know what WOULD be important in the context of history? Probably not. ( )

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