Ghost Soldier by Elaine Marie Alphin, clearly portrays that the historical time period is 1861-1865. My evidence to support this thought is there is an army on the front cover. Also on pages 14 and 15 in this book the author gives clues jumbled throughout the text waiting to be revealed. When the General of the army murmured about the slavery caused by farmers,barrens, and companies to the soldier in a Southern accent that proves that it was the Civil War. Because during that time slavery occurred; however, men were fighting against it by war. Which the war was called the Civil War. In the Civil War everything had battlefield marked all over it. 750,000 men and women died, but the horrible, terrible, and gruesome thing is........... only 500,000 men actually fought in the battle!The Civil War is an important historical event that has happened in the past lives of others. Supporting this is if we didn't have the Civil War most of the blacks every where would be locked up in a cage like animals. The blacks would be locked up in chains begging for survival.To reiterate, the time period here had battle in it, for this battle is called the civil war. The Civil War was an importent time period, for all the blacks today who are happy in life. Everybody must be grateful for the fact others went through the pain and agony instead of us having to go through that miserable fate. Ghost Soldier by Elaine Marie Alphin, clearly portrays that the historical time period is 1861-1865.
Read this book last weekend. So glad I did not let the cover chase me off. I usually don't judge by the covers but this one had "Boy Book" written all over it!Note the civil war clothes, the gun, the battlefield ... yeah, I thought it was going to be dreary and depressing, old-fashioned, like most of the civil war books I have read, and I needed something lighter to read.What a surprise this turned out to be. A modern boy needs to come to terms with his mother leaving him while dealing with a father that wants to relocate from Illinois so he can marry a woman in NC. While visiting a Civil War battlefield with their future blended family during spring break, he meets a ghost who follows him home. Turns out, the ghost is trying to find the family he left behind and he wants the very reluctant living boy to help him.Nice parallel story lines ... one boy struggles to let go of his mother so he can accept his future and move on while another is desperate to find out what happened to his family so he can finally let go and move on. It wasn't nearly as heavy handed as most children's lit needs to be to get its point across. Add to that some pretty smart thinking, good research skills and an awakening of a love of history and museums on the part of the human boy and we have a wonderful book.
Do You like book Ghost Soldier (2001)?
This book deals with single parenthood and how Alex feels about not having his mom around anymore. Blended families are also explored along with interesting aspects of the Civil War and the amazing amount of young people who fought for both the Union and the Confederacy. It's easy to see why this book is the winner of both the 2002 Society of Midland Authors Children's Fiction Award and the 2004 Young Hoosier Book Award. The book is well-written and Alex and the other main characters seem like people that might actually live in your neighborhood. The historical aspect of the story brings the reality of the Civil War to a young audience in a way that is understandable.Continue reading on Examiner.com Review; 'Ghost Soldier' by Elaine Marie Alphin - San Francisco fiction | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/fiction-in-sa...
—Cindi
I took this book from the school library on a whim. Someone had left it on a table instead of returning it to be shelved. I was in a "ghost mood" so I began reading it.I like the protagonist. He's struggling with the loss of his mom and his changing life. I understand that and I think some of my students would, too. I like that he's not an ordinary kid: he sees ghosts, he plays the recorder (self-taught), and he gardens. He's also stubborn as a mule--which turns out to be a good thing.I like the storyline. It's unusual for a ghost story. It reminded me of The Ghost Sitter because the ghost is not the typical ghost we're used to. I like the idea that ghosts are waiting for their "out of timers" to help them on their way. We're interacting with their world as much as they're interacting with ours. It's a neat notion.I felt happily satisfied with the ending. There was a lot of character growth and it rounded out the story nicely.
—Laura
A Battle of the Books selection for 4th graders, this book was set in North Carolina and brought to life the Civil War in the form of a young soldier (the ghost). Alexander and his dad are visiting NC because his dad wants remarry and move there. Alexander hates the idea and feels like he'd be giving on his dream of his mother returning. He meets the ghost whose dream is to find out if his family, especially his sister, survived the war. Alexander is the only one who can help his dream come true. I liked the story and how it delved into issues like why young men fought in the war, what happened afterward, and being part of a family. Interesting tidbits of how to do family history work too - for young boys, not just old people!
—Jenny
