The Boys' War by Jim Murphy

The Boys' War: Confederate and Union Soldiers Talk About the Civil War by Jim Murphy is about young boys' experiences in the Civil War. This book shows what life was like for the preteens and teens who signed on to fight for both sides of the war. Some were just 11 years old! Many of the younger boys who were admitted into the army began as drummer boys - using their drums to convey messages and commands to the men in battle. Those positions, however, often became fighting positions as they picked up guns from fallen soldiers and joined in the battles themselves.

This book was amazing. I just told a student about it saying, "I didn't know how much I didn't know about the Civil War before I read this!" This book tells about the lives of the boys - not about dates and politics and specific battles. It is nonfiction, but reads almost like a narrative. The author used many quotes from actual soldiers' journals and diaries, so it truly gives a first-hand account of what the war was like.