Turn Homeward, Hannalee

by Patricia Beatty

Book Overview

As the Civil War comes to a close, resourceful Hannalee must find her way home.

In this classic historical fiction for young readers, plucky twelve-year-old Hannalee Reed, sent north to work in a Yankee mill, struggles to return to the family she left behind in war-torn Georgia.

This powerful early-middle grade novel, based on historical events, reveals a little-known side to our most significant American conflict.

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• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0688038719
• ISBN13: 9780688038717
• Release Date: October 1984
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.5" x 8.3"
• Age Range: 8 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 3 to 7

Customer Reviews

Excellent Book, But Not For Younger Readers

This is a fantastic story of little known historical events during the Civil War. It is well written, captivating, and historically accurate. The main character is endearing and brave, and all the characters throughout the book are fleshed out and very believable. This book will educate the reader on the Civil War and broaden their perspective on what the people on both sides suffered. The only problem with this book is that it is marketed for 9-12 year olds, and I think it is too intense for that age group. It is "heavy" emotional reading from start to finish [full of suffering, children taken from their families, loved ones dying, etc]. In addition, there are two scenes in particular that I found troubling for such a young age group: 1) There is a scene where the Yankee Soldiers get drunk and start "forcing their attentions" on the young girls who work at the Mill. This was a very tense and emotionally painful scene, and far more than the average 9yo needs to know about evil in the world. 2) There is a scene after the battle of Murfreesboro where the two young heroes of the story come upon a battlefield scene, and it is described graphically - too much so for younger kids in my opinion. I add these as warnings for parents who may be concerned - if you are a parent who lets your 9yo watch R rated movies and play very violent video games, then this is not a problem for you. If you are a more cautious parent who tries to preserve your children's innocence at this early age, then you need to know that this book may not be appropriate for your family. All said, it is an excellent book and would be great, educational, and entertaining reading for any teen or adult.

An intriguing work of historical fiction...

All 12-year-old Hannalee Reed has ever known is the mill. In her small Georgia town, everyone, from children to adult, earns his or her living in the factory. Then Yankee soldiers come and burn the mill down to halt the Confederate war effort. To her horror, the soldiers take Hannalee, her 10-year-old brother Jem and her brother's teenage fiancee Rosellen away from their families and hometown, far up north, where they are auctioned off as servants. Desperate to stay with Jem, Hannalee cuts off her braids to disguise her brother as a girl. But the ruse fails, and Hannalee finds herself alone in the home of a Yankee couple who hate her, simply because she's Southern. Her mind on her widowed mama, who was expected to have a baby any day, Hannalee decides she's got to head home. She runs away from her master and sets out looking for Jem and Rosellen. Readers will enjoy the adventures of Hannalee, who is both courageous and just a regular child like themselves. The pull of home -- as poor and war-torn as it may be -- is also touching. If you enjoy this book, be sure to check out "Be Ever Hopeful, Hannalee," which picks up the Reeds' story just after the Civil War, when they struggle to build a new life for themselves in Atlanta.

Turn Homeward Hannalee

What happened in this book you ask? Well I will tell you. Things that you imagined that would happen back then is not what it is compared to the book. What happened in the book was amazing. There is this 12 year old girl named Hannalee and her 10 year old brother Jem. They get kidnapped by the Yankees and get taken away from their mom who is pregnant. Once they get to their destination they are adopted for work. Hannalee runs away from the people who adopted her and travels from Ohio all the way to Hartford, Kentucky just to find her brother. Hannalee and Jem find their way back home safely.The main character in this book is Hannalee. Hannalee is a very brave and determined girl. Hannalee is a girl that every girl would dream of being. She always thinks positive and never thinks negative.The main conflict in this book is most likely the Civil War. Another problem that caught my eye was that the tone in which her voice seemed to be in was an unhappy one. The last problem would have to be being separated from her family in the war. And a whole lot more.Hannalee resolved the problem by taking the lead being in control and she didn't let anything bring her down. The other thing is because she cared more about her loved ones being home and safe. She didn't believe they would get killed or sick or anything bad. She thought the whole time they were going to make it home.My opinion of this book is a very good one. I am glad I got this book and that I had an opportunity to read this book. Would I recommend this book to others? Yes I would. The reason I would recommend this book to others is because it shows that even if you are a kid everything is possible.

Read it!

This is a very adventurous book. I read it this year in 5th grade and there are a lot of exciting things that happen. It's about a girl who gets taken away from her family by the Yankees during the Civil War. But luckily she is taken in by a friend. HannaLee has to go through a lot to get back to her family, but I can't tell you if she does or not, you'll just have to read the book for yourself to find out. This was an incredible book and I wanted to get more books like it. It's a great book and I know you'll enjoy it.

This is the Best Book in the World

Turn Homeward, Hannalee is a wonderful book. It is very informational and teaches alot about the Civil War while it is also exciting and never dull. With her father dead and her brother in the war, Hannalee is separated from her mother and makes a promise to return home. Disguised as a boy, she struggles to return home to her mother. This is an amazing book that without any doubt I would suggest to read.