If you took this question to the service desk in the Kids Room at your library, the first question they'd be likely to ask is the age and/or grade level of the child. They would probably ask if you wanted a book covering the whole war or if your child had any
particular interests that could be related in some way to the war. They would probably also ask if you wanted nonfiction or if fiction was OK.
Civil War titles (fiction and nonfiction and for various ages) that are popular in the Kids Room at my library:
From the Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales series (comic/graphic novel):
Big Bad Ironclad! This is one of a series of
very popular history-themed comic books.
dgs.swanlibraries.net
From the I Survived chapter book series by Lauren Tarshis:
I Survived the Battle of Gettysburg, 1863. This series is
very popular, but I won't lie;
I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912 gets checked out a lot more.
It's 1863, and Thomas and his little sister, Birdie, have fled the farm where they were born and raised as slaves. Following the North Star, looking for freedom, they soon cross paths with a Union soldier. Everything changes: Corporal Henry Green brings Thomas and Birdie back to his regiment...
dgs.swanlibraries.net
Another similar chapter book series is You Choose Books: Disasters in History. The one for the Civil War is
Can You Survive the Sultana Disaster? by Eric Braun.
"The date is April 27, 1865. You are crammed onboard the steamboat Sultana with more than 2,000 passengers. Many of them are soldiers heading home after the Civil War. You're cruising on the Mississippi River when a massive explosion rips through the ship. Do you dive into the water to save...
dgs.swanlibraries.net
There is also You Choose Books: American Battles:
At the Battle of Antietam: An Interactive Battlefield Adventure by Matt Doeden.
dgs.swanlibraries.net
There is another series: What Was [fill in event here]? and Who Was [fill in person here]? These books are
extremely popular. Here is an example:
What Was Gettysburg? by Jim O'Connor.
Teaches important dates and facts about the Battle of Gettysburg.
dgs.swanlibraries.net
From The Magic Tree House chapter book series by Mary Pope Osbourne:
Civil War on Sunday.
Jack and Annie are transported by their magic tree house to the time of the Civil War where they meet Clara Barton.
dgs.swanlibraries.net
The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane. Personally, I would encourage waiting until the child is old enough to read and understand the original adult version. Sometimes, I think you miss out if you read an abridged or simplified kids' edition. Your mileage may vary.
https://dgs.swanlibraries.net/Group...age=1&searchSource=local&referred=resultIndex
This book is up in Teen Central, so it's for an older child.
Chasing Lincoln's Killer by James L. Swanson. This is a young adult version of Swanson's book
Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer. I know what I said above about reading the adult version. If this case, though, I understand that the author worked with his about 9-year-old son on how to make the adult book more accessible to kids/teens. This may have been a Teen Summer Reading Book a couple years back. I've read this, and I think adults can enjoy it along with their older kids. There are perhaps some easier word choices and a less involved sentence structure, but it is not in-your-face "this is a kid's book."
Recounts the escape of John Wilkes Booth, Abraham Lincoln's assassin, and follows the intensive twelve-day search for him and his accomplices.
dgs.swanlibraries.net
Sally M. Walker has written 2 books that might be of interest:
Sinking the Sultana: A Civil War Story of Imprisonment, Greed, and a Doomed Journey Home.
The worst maritime disaster in American history wasn't the Titanic. It was the steamboat Sultana on the Mississippi River and it could have been prevented.
dgs.swanlibraries.net
Secrets of a Civil War Submarine: Solving the Mysteries of the H. L. Hunley.
dgs.swanlibraries.net
And of course, there is Michael Shaara's
The Killer Angels which was
definitely a Teen Summer Reading Book.
Portraits of Lee, Longstreet, and other Civil War leaders are interwoven with historical detail to provide a fictional recreation of the bloody battle at Gettysburg.
dgs.swanlibraries.net
Because all patron bases are different, here's a list of Civil War books for kids from the librarians at the Indianapolis (IN) Public Library. I'm familiar with some of these, and I have to agree with the Kids Room in Indy that they are
definitely appealing.
Try one of these historical tours of the U.S. Civil War. Learn about the leaders, battles and events as well as some interesting stories and legends about spying, some of the very first photographs ever take, and a Civil War dog who's statue stands to this day in Gettysburg. #IndyPLKids...
indypl.bibliocommons.com
I hope this gives you some ideas.
Forum Host
Bringing the