A review by mary00
Bull Run by Paul Fleischman

4.0

I was helping my son with a Civil War project for school and picked up this book for him. Well, after reading the glowing starred reviews inside the front cover, I started reading it myself and found it to be a jewel of a book. It is brief, but powerful. The story of the beginning of the Civil War and the Battle of Bull Run is told from the perspectives of 16 different people. I thought that it was very effective, poetic, and engaging. It would make a great addition to a classroom discussion of the Civil War, as it is such a quick read. I don't know how much kids would be drawn to this book on their own, but if used in conjunction with a classroom or home unit on the Civil War, it would be a great way to personalize the war and give their learning added dimension. Personally, I thought it was a great (but sad) stand-alone look at the war.