Shades of Gray

by Carolyn Reeder

Other authors: Tim O'Brien (Illustrator)

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1,524	5	11,991	(3.69)	31
At the end of the Civil War, twelve-year-old Will, having lost all his immediate family, reluctantly leaves his city home to live in the Virginia countryside with his aunt and the uncle he considers a "traitor" because he refused to take part in the war.

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Twelve-year-old Will loses his entire family in the Civil War and moves in with an aunt and uncle he considers traitors.

BLTSbraille | Oct 2, 2021 |

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lcslibrarian | Aug 13, 2020 |

00008659

lcslibrarian | Aug 13, 2020 |

12 year old Will Page is orphaned by the war. He has lost everything he has ever known. He has go go live with his aunt and uncle. Will is not very happy about living with his Uncle Ned, because he thinks he is a coward. His uncle refused to fight with the Confederates in the war because he did not believe in what they stood for.

In the beginning Will is angry and resentful. Will is not used to doing hard work, but now that he lives on the farm. He is expected to pull his own weight. Will matures as he helps out on the farm, he becomes friends with his cousin Meg and makes peace with a bully, and comes to respect his Uncle Jed and see him as a strong and principled man.

I thought this book was a slow read.
It was interesting but it just took a long time to get there. (

)

weeksie50 | Dec 2, 2010 |

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MamaBearLendingDen | Mar 29, 2024 |

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Author name	Role	Type of author	Work?	Status
Carolyn Reeder	—	primary author	all editions	calculated
O'Brien, Tim	Illustrator	secondary author	all editions	confirmed

▾Series and work relationships

Has as a student's study guide

Shades of gray [by] Carolyn Reeder: A study guide (Novel-ties) by Duncan Searl

Has as a teacher's guide

Shades of Gray - Teacher Guide by Novel Units, Inc. by Novel Units

▾Awards and Honors

Awards

Black-Eyed Susan Book Award (Nominee – Grades 6-9 – 1993)

Cardinal Cup (Winner – 1990)

Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award (Nominee – 1992)

Jane Addams Children's Book Award (Honor Book – 1990)

Josette Frank Award (Winner – 1989)

Kentucky Bluegrass Award (Nominee – Grades 4-8 – 1993)

Mark Twain Readers Award (Nominee)

Maud Hart Lovelace Award (Nominee – 1994)

Nutmeg Book Award (Nominee – Intermediate – 1993)

Nēnē Award (Nominee – 1994)

Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award (Nominee – Grades 6-8 – 1993)

Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award (Nominee – 1993)

Scott O'Dell Award (1990)

Sequoyah Book Award (Nominee – Young Adult – 1992)

Sunshine State Young Reader's Award (Nominee – 1992)

Texas Bluebonnet Award (Nominee – 1992)

Utah Beehive Book Award (Nominee – Children's Fiction – 1991)

Vermont Golden Dome Book Award (Nominee)

William Allen White Children's Book Award (Nominee – 1991-1992)

Young Hoosier Book Award (Nominee – Middle Grade – 1993)

Notable Lists

NCTE Adventuring with Books: A Booklist for Pre-K—Grade 6 (10th Edition: 1988-1992)

NCTE Books That Invite Talk, Wonder, and Play (1996)

Shalom Readers Club Book List (Grade 6-8)

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People/Characters

Will Page

Important places

USA

Shenandoah Valley, USA

Virginia, USA

Important events

Reconstruction (1863 | 1877)

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Epigraph

Dedication

in memory of my father,
Raymond B. Owens

First words

Will sighed and tipped his hat so the brim shaded his eyes from the late afternoon sun.

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(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)

Disambiguation notice

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Carolyn Reeder

File:Shades of Gray - C.Reeder - cover.jpg

Shades of Gray (Reeder novel)

▾Book descriptions

At the end of the Civil War, twelve-year-old Will, having lost all his immediate family, reluctantly leaves his city home to live in the Virginia countryside with his aunt and the uncle he considers a "traitor" because he refused to take part in the war.

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