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... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0670036382
• ISBN13: 9780670036387
• Release Date: April 2007
• Publisher: Viking Children's Books
• Length: 236 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.4" x 8.5"
• 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.

Extraordinary Historical Fiction

In her notes, Rosemary Wells says, "I hope my story will reveal something deeper than fact, and that is the profound immorality of war." Red Moon at Sharpsburg succeeds as both a historically accurate depiction of the American Civil War from the perspective of the first person narrator, young India Moody, but is also a detailed and horrifying vision of a war that was fought mostly in the cornfields, orchards and homes of the South. We in America have been protected from those horrors. The War for Independence, the War of 1812 and the Civil War are the only three that have been fought on our own soil. Time and distance allow us to glamorize and glorify war in a way that those who actually live through it cannot. India Moody may begin the war with thoughts of glory, but those thoughts are very soon dispelled by its realities. That is intentional. The author writes in 2006, in the beginnings of the second Gulf War in Iraq, which gives her work an added dimension and an added impetus. "What happened in Virginia a hundred and fifty years ago," she writes, "is just as relevant as today's television headline news. It is easy to start wars, but much harder to stop them." Indeed, many times in the story, India wonders why the war continues when the outcome is inevitable, only to find to her horror that wars have a life of their own and will continue until someone yells "Uncle." Causes are meaningless; war is its own justification. But, Red Moon at Sharpsburg is not just a diatribe against war; it is also a compelling story of a remarkable gifted young woman struggling against the almost insurmountable obstacles imposed on her, not only by the war, but also by the rigid expectations imposed on an ante-bellum Southern woman whose life consisted of studying Scripture and domestic economics, not "men's work" such as science and medicine. India longs for more. She is the daughter of a simple harness maker whose fortune is changed one day when he saves the life of a wealthy plantation owner, Cyrus Trimble. India becomes his god-child and is introduced to the wonders of Southern aristocracy (which Mark Twain described as based on the works of Sir Walter Scott) where women are expected to run the house, teach morality to their children and not a lot else. She is tutored by his asthmatic son, Emory Trimble, who quickly discovers her aptitude for "men's science" and forms an intellectual bond with the girl that, over the next three years, and in spite of grave difficulty, grows into a passionate devotion. The novel is filled with colorful and often heartbreaking characters on both sides of the conflict. These are characters that are molded and defined by the environment. The Civil War is not merely a backdrop in this story, but is almost a character in its own right, devouring, shaping, and defining the people in the story in ways that they could not possibly have foreseen prior to its entrance into their lives. There is an intimacy here th

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.