Red Moon at Sharpsburg

By Rosemary Wells

Book Overview

Award-winning author Rosemary Wells lays bare the senseless devastation of war in this stunning novel. As the Civil War breaks out, India, a young Southern girl, summons her sharp intelligence and the courage she didn?t know she had to survive the war that threatens to destroy her family, her Virginia home, and the only life she has ever known. A timeless heroine of inspiring drive and bravery, India holds on to her dream of forging a career in science, unheard-of for a woman, in the face of battle, starvation, and tragic loss. Rarely has the Southern perspective on the war been told so even-handedly for young adults as in this meticulously researched, poignant, and riveting novel.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0670036382
• ISBN13: 9780670036387
• Release Date: April 2007
• Publisher: Viking Juvenile
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.89 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.5" x 1.0" x 5.9"
• Age Range: 12 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 7 and higher

Customer Reviews

Golden Sower book list.

LOVED this book. We live in Nebraska and this book was on the Golden Sower list to read. If you are a Civil War lover as we are you'll enjoy this story. My daughter and I read this book we are hoping the auther writes a new book to let us know what happens to the charaters.

Outstanding Historical Fiction

I am a 6th grade English teacher, and I read A LOT of "kid lit." This fictional account of a young teen during the Civil War is absolutely outstanding. Wonderful themes of perseverance, family, survival. I especially enjoyed the focus on the development of medicine/medical procedures during this time period. India Moody makes a terrific heroine. I recommend this book to strong readers in 5th grade on up. In fact, this will be one of my mother's Christmas gifts!

Gritty Novel on the Civil War

Rosemary Wells has long been a favorite of mine from reading "Morris's Disappearing Bag" and "Stanley and Rhoda" to my now 27 and 25 year old sons to reading "Mary on Horseback" to my 7th grade class last year. Her newly published "Red Moon at Sharpsburg" is possibly her best work so far. Told from the point of view of a young Southern girl during the Civil War, it offers a realistic view of the affect this bloody war had on the lives of the people whose emotions go from total optimism that the South would win in less than 90 days to the realization that the Southern way of life has disappeared forever. The characters are three dimensional and neither side comes across as noble. Rather, all aspects of war are well developed and described in almost poetic if sometimes graphic terms. I highly recommend this novel to all readers grade 7 on up. P.S. Teachers of US History might want to incorporate this into a unit on the Civil War.

Civil War fiction for all ages

Rosemary Wells (Mary on Horseback and the Max and Yoko books) proves herself once again to be a giant in children's literature. Her new book delves into the Civil War. Set in the magnificent and fertile Shenandoah Valley, the war's impact on this place is mirrored in the main characters life. India Moody, the 12 year old heroine, observes all of the pain, suffering, loss, a complete change in her valley and in her life - all because of the war. India's personal drive to get an education, to be a scientist, adds another dimension to her story. This historical piece will be a welcome addition to any book shelf.