The Last Brother: A Civil War Tale (Tales of Young Americans) Hardcover – Picture Book, May 17, 2006

Great picture book to read during a Civil War unit if you are a teacher. It provides a lot of great discussions.

Part of American history has to do with Abraham Lincoln, slavery and The Civil War. In the past, I have found it to be difficult to teach these themes to third and fourth graders in an understandable way. A couple of years ago, I found "Pink and Say" -a story about two very different boys at the time of the Civil War. Now, there is "The Last Brother" - also about two boys. The difference here is that in "The Last Brother", both boys are on different sides of the war, both are buglers for their regiments, and both could easily die on the battlefield - at the age of 12. You can hear a pin drop when I read aloud - I would suppose that the whole story is too close to home to ignore. There are extraordinary illustrations that are deserving of a Caldecutt medal. I allow unlimited time after reading for lively discussions.

I homeschool so am always on the lookout for great books that are living and tell history as it was. This was a really moving book about two boys at the battle of Gettysburg. While they did focus more on Gabe, the boy on the Union side, I really felt it was beautifully shown how boys in the Civil War served and yet were still boys. My kids didn't make a sound while I read it (ages 8 & 6). The illustrations are BEAUTIFUL.

Excellent depiction of boys in the war. We felt like we were watching the scene unfold before us. Gettysburg came to life. My son is 7 and he listened intently.

Love the story with beautiful illustrations! Perfect for my homeschooling 7 year old son!

It was so refreshing to be able to read such a uniquely smart book to my upper-elementary/ middle-school kids. It was very age-appropriate on a topic that boys enjoy - the civil war. And the story is about an 11 year old, so the kids could try to put themselves in the main character's shoes. The entire story was interesting, but what made this book so special was the thought-provoking ending. It gave me chills. How nice it was to read a book that genuinely had a great story line. And the pictures on each page were fabulous. This is one that sticks with you!

Used this book with my students at school. Bought this copy for my own use at home. Read it to my oldest granddaughter when we were visiting Harper's Ferry, WV and Gettysburg, Pa this summer. All the books in this series are wonderful to read to children from ages nine to twelve. My students sit and listen intently when I read it at school. :)

A good one, but wish you'll have a longer version which can be used for younger children's book report.