Silent Thunder: A Civil War Story

Select a format:

To purchase this item, you must first login or register for a new account.

West 26th Street Press

Annotation: In 1862 eleven-year-old Summer and her thirteen-year-old brother Rosco take turns describing how life on the quiet Virginia plantation where they are slaves is affected by the Civil War.

Genre: [Historical fiction]

Reviews: 3

Catalog Number: #6545991

Format: Paperback

Publisher: West 26th Street Press

Edition Date: 2001 Release Date: 10/21/12

Pages: 168 pages

ISBN: 0-7867-5364-1

ISBN 13: 978-0-7867-5364-2

Dewey: Fic

LCCN: 98032071

Dimensions: 23 cm.

Subject Heading:
Slavery. Fiction.
African Americans. Fiction.
Underground railroad. Fiction.
Virginia. History. Civil War, 1861-1865. Juvenile fiction.
Virginia. History. Civil War, 1861-1865. Fiction.
United States. History. Civil War, 1861-1865. Fiction.

Language: English

Reviews:

Horn Book

In 1862 eleven-year-old Summer learns that "silent thunder is desire, longing." Summer's desire is to learn to read; her brother's wish for freedom is his. Their alternating narratives allow each to reveal how they fulfill these aspirations. Individual sections, such as Summer's initial reading lesson and her brother's flight through the Underground Railroad, provide strong read-alouds rich in historical detail. Bib.

Reviewing Agencies: - Find Other Reviewed Titles
Horn Book
Library Journal
National Council For Social Studies Notable Children's Trade

Bibliography Index/Note: Includes bibliographical references (pages 167-168).

Word Count: 43,001

Reading Level: 5.4

Interest Level: 4-7

Accelerated Reader: reading level: 5.4 / points: 7.0 / quiz: 36396 / grade: Middle Grades

Reading Counts!: reading level:5.8 / points:12.0 / quiz:Q20234

Lexile: 880L

Each of us has a silent thunder a quiet desire that rumbles from deep-down. For eleven-year-old Summer and her older brother Rosco, their secret dreams seem far out of reach. Both are slaves on a Virginia plantation in the year 1862. More than anything, Summer wants to learn to read and write. Rosco is eager to join the Union Army so that he can fight for the cause that would allow all people to be free. Told in alternating voices, this is a work of historical fiction by bestselling and award-winning author Andrea Davis Pinkney."

Book Buttons