School Library Journal (Wed Dec 01 00:00:00 CST 2010)

Gr 4-7 Pulling readers headlong into the sights, sounds, and smells of the battle at Gettysburg, Weber paints a picture, rich in descriptive detail, of terrifying encounters, exhausted soldiers, and tedious waiting mixed with chaos and confusion. She outlines how this decisive showdown was actually more happenstance than strategy, and how General Lee's defeat here, while it did not end the war, put him and the Southern army on the defensive for the next two years, never allowing them to gain back an advantage. While the three-day battle is described chronologically, the author begins with Lincoln's famous address at the dedication of the memorial cemetery and then provides some context for the war, its causes, and basic highlights up until those fateful days in early July. The narration is occasionally confusing as it hops between the Northern and Southern perspectives as well as explaining troop movements, various commanders, regiments, and locations in and around Gettysburg. The text is interspersed with bits of first-person accounts, original photographs, and reprints of flyers and other primary-source material that make it an invaluable resource for students and teachers. A detailed time line, websites, and a bibliography are useful additions. Font sizes for captions and sidebars are small, which can be distracting, but overall this is an attractive, informative account of an important American event. Jody Kopple, Shady Hill School, Cambridge, MA

Horn Book (Fri Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2011)

Beginning with Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, this account follows with a detailed narrative--from multiple perspectives--of the days before, during, and after America's bloodiest battle. Reproduced paintings, maps, sidebars, and photographs add further details, providing a welcome distraction from the small font (in both text and captions). The volume's scope may be off-putting to some readers, but others will devour the information. Timeline, websites. Bib., ind.

ALA Booklist (Mon Nov 01 00:00:00 CDT 2010)

This colorful book tells of the Battle of Gettysburg, a dramatic event that becomes even more compelling because the text is laced with pertinent quotes from those who were there. Weber's vivid, pithy writing packs a great deal of information and many anecdotes into a relatively short account. A time line of the Civil War, a list of recommended websites, a bibliography, and a list of sources for quotes are appended. Most double-page spreads include a pull-out snippet of text, sometimes beginning or ending in midsentence, printed in all caps, and, even more distracting, in two different sizes of enlarged, bold type. Though this and certain other aspects of page design draw the eye away from the main text, other elements work quite successfully: many battle maps, short, informative sidebars, and the use of modern realistic paintings and photos of artifacts as well as period photographs to illustrate the book. A lively addition to history collections.