Hunter Jones Joins the Civil War review by NDen
Hunter Jones Joins The Civil War (Indian Territory)
by Jinx Julian Olson
Age Range - 8 - 12
Genre - Educational
Five Star Award

LitPick Review

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Age at time of review - 15
Reviewer's Location - Waterford, MI, United States
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Hunter Jones Joins the Civil War(Missouri) by Jinx Olson is a book written about a young boy who is forced to grow up physically and emotionally much greater and faster than most kids his age. At the beginning of the novel, Hunter's dad is shot by a gambler firing at another man. The bullet misses the intended target, hitting his father in the chest and sending him overboard into the strong current never to be seen again. He is accused of being someone just hitching a ride at that point, and when asked to show his ticket finds that the tickets were with his father. He is kicked off of the boat and nearly arrested by the sheriff. He spends some time in the next few days trying to find his father but fails and decides to set camp up in a magnolia tree. He finds a raccoon, an orphan similar to himself, and befriends him. A group of confederate soldiers accidently shoot him and he is taken care of by them. He is made to run errands for the general and make sure his horse is taken care of. After some time, he is given a drum and learns how to play it. While running one of his errands he falls into a coma due to a head wound, and lays in the hospital. His friends read the newspaper each day, and in his coma he lives out what is summarized in the daily newspaper, read by his friends, giving the reader a first-hand experience of the events that took place during the Civil War. General Lyon becomes Hunter's new father figure.

Opinion: 

Aside from a few editing errors, I believe this book is well put together. The writing is good grammatically and the story is interesting and keeps the reader wanting to read and learn more. The books theme of wandering and exile might make the reader think of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and when you consider the facts are historically accurate, this makes the book both fun and informative. There is much to be learned from this story. It makes you think about history, and think about your inner self, what would you do in Hunter's situation.

 

R

Rating:
5
Content Rating:

Content rating - nothing offensive
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