Other editions of book Across Five Aprils

The story of a southern Illinois family, torn between loyalty to their southern back-ground and loyalty to their country; of young Jethro Creighton, who bore the burden of a man's work as a boy of ten, when the men went off to fight; of a family, a county, a state, a nation, in the agony of a fratricidal war. April was blooming in the land when the news of the surrender of Fort Sumter came to the southern Illinois countryside. From that day on the singing of the birds was a crying, and the hard work in the fields was made heavier by the hard news of battles lost and young men slain. The great figures of the war move across the pages: Lincoln and Grant and Sherman- General George Thomas, the "rock Chickamauga," the staunch Virginian remained faithful to the Union-Get Robert E. Lee, who refused to fight against his state, his family , and his friends; and the humble people, North and South, who bore the brunt of the terrible conflict. Here is an unforgettable story of a tragic and crucial period iin our country's history.

Southern Illinois is a place of mixed emotions as the American Civil War erupts. For the Creightons, the war lures two sons to the Union army and one to the Confederacy, leaving 10-year-old Jethro to care for the family farm. As the war rages, Jethro does whatever he can to learn about the fates of his brothers, while the Creighton family faces its own danger. Some townspeople can’t forgive the Creightons for having a rebel son-and they’re willing to use violence to make their feelings known. In a state torn by conflicting loyalties, Jethro is forced to grow up quickly to preserve his family and their home. Across Five Aprils is a powerful classic from Newbery Medal-winning author Irene Hunt. Tom Stechschulte’s homespun narration brings out the spirit and courage of a boy who shoulders a tremendous load--and becomes a young man in the process.