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HEAR THE WIND BLOW

Name: HEAR THE WIND BLOW
Author: Mary Downing Hahn
ISBN: 0-618-18190-3

A NOVEL OF THE CIVIL WAR

by Mary Downing Hahn ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 19, 2003

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Toward the end of the Civil War, much of northern Virginia is a wasteland, houses and farms destroyed, the smell of smoke lingering in the air. Now the war has reached 13-year-old Haswell Magruder. When a young, wounded Confederate soldier—pursued by Yankees—rides into his family’s life, he sets in motion a chain of events that changes their lives forever. With their house burned to the ground and the farm in ruins, Haswell and his sister must set off on an odyssey across war-torn northern Virginia to find safe haven with relatives. Haswell is an effectively drawn character—too young to fight, but old enough to understand his place in a country at war with itself. Through his eyes, readers see the consequences of war better than any exposition of dates could provide. A memorable journey in the voice of a young boy whom readers will care about, a first-rate story, and an essential addition to Civil War collections. (Historical fiction. 10-14)

Pub Date: May 19, 2003

ISBN: 0-618-18190-3

Page Count: 208

Publisher: Clarion Books

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2003

Categories:

CHILDREN'S HISTORICAL FICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE OLD WILLIS PLACE GRAPHIC NOVEL
by Mary Downing Hahn ; adapted by Scott Peterson ; illustrated by Meredith Laxton ; color by Sienna Haralson

- BOOK REVIEW
ALL THE LOVELY BAD ONES
by Mary Downing Hahn ; adapted by Scott Peterson ; illustrated by Naomi Franquiz ; color by Brittany Peer

- BOOK REVIEW
WAIT TILL HELEN COMES
developed by Mary Downing Hahn ; adapted by Scott Peterson ; illustrated by Meredith Laxton ; color by Russ Badgett

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THE BLETCHLEY RIDDLE

by Ruta Sepetys & Steve Sheinkin ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 8, 2024

A rich, enthralling historical mystery that engages and educates.

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Siblings decode familial and wartime secrets in 1940 England.

Headstrong 14-year-old Lizzie Novis refuses to believe that her mother, a U.S. embassy clerk who was working in Poland, is dead. After fleeing from her grandmother—who’s attempting to bring her back to America—Lizzie locates her 19-year-old brother, Jakob, a Cambridge mathematician who’s stationed at the clandestine British intelligence site called Bletchley Park. Hiding from her grandmother’s estate steward, Lizzie becomes a messenger at Bletchley Park, ferrying letters across the grounds while Jakob attempts to both break the ciphers generated by the German Enigma machines and help his sister face the reality of their mother’s likely fate. With a suspicious MI5 agent inquiring about Mum and clues and codes piling up, the siblings, whose late father was “Polish Jewish British,” eventually decipher the truth. Shared narrative duties between the siblings effectively juxtapose the measured Jakob with the spirited Lizzie. Lizzie’s directness is repeatedly attributed to her being “half American,” which proves tiresome, but Jakob’s development from reserved to risk-tolerant provides welcome nuance. The authors introduce and carefully explain a variety of decoding methodologies, inspiring readers to attempt their own. A thoughtful and entertaining historical note identifies the key figures who appear in the book, such as Alan Turing, as well as the real-life bases for the fictional characters. Interspersed photos and images of ephemera help situate the narrative’s time period.

A rich, enthralling historical mystery that engages and educates. (Historical mystery. 10-14)