SUBSCRIBE
SUBSCRIBE
SLJ Blog Network +
  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Classroom Bookshelf
  • The Yarn
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About/Contact
  • Fusenews
  • Reviews
  • Librarian Previews
  • Best Books
    • Top 100
    • Best Books of 2022
    • Best Books of 2021
    • Best Books of 2020
    • Best Books of 2019
    • Best Books of 2018
    • Best Books of 2017
    • Best Books of 2016
    • Best Books of 2015
    • Best Books of 2014
    • Best Books of 2013
  • Fuse 8 n’ Kate
  • Videos
  • Press Release Fun

December 31, 2007 by Betsy Bird

Review of the Day: Red Moon at Sharpsburg

December 31, 2007 by Betsy Bird   5 comments


Red Moon at Sharpsburg
By Rosemary Wells
Viking (Penguin imprint)
$16.99
ISBN: 978-0670036387
Ages 9 and up
On shelves now

As a child I wasn’t a fan of historical fiction. Or, at least, I didn’t think I was a fan. Truth be told I didn’t read many titles in that genre (embarrassing Sunfire Romances aside) and it wasn’t until I became a children’s librarian that I realized how gaping this gap was in my personal knowledge. So I filled myself up with a host of delightful titles, at last coming to terms with this most elastic of children’s books. I am now enough of a fan of historical fiction to know when it works and when it does not. Now as 2007 went on I started to hear more and more people talking up, "Red Moon Over Sharpsburg", by Rosemary Wells. It was low buzz, but sometimes low buzz is exactly the flavor of buzz that turns into awards and prizes later on down the road. Maybe this book was going to turn out to be some kind of surprise dark horse hit later in the year! I couldn’t take the chance of not reading it, so it was plucked from my library’s shelves and devoured on a long plane ride. Sadly, it is not the buzz-worthy little nugget of gold I had hoped for. Using familiar tropes, the book is oddly unemotional. Characters display odd inconsistencies, the narrative jumps about like a skittish colt, and in the end you feel much as you did when you started the book. This is not a story that encourages fondness or violent dislike. It is merely a mild book for a mild readership.

India Moody isn’t your average Shenandoah Valley southern belle. Where other girls are learning their scriptures and embroidery, India’s lightning quick mind craves science and natural mysteries. It’s the start of the Civil War and when India’s schoolteacher is shot in one of the early battles, she finds herself tutored by her godmother’s son, Emory Trimble. Emory encourages India’s love of the practical sciences, and is himself in search of the answers to curing diseases. War soon enters into India’s life, however, with devastating results. Her father goes into battle, her mother’s mind shatters, and India is left to discover her own path through right and wrong during a particularly difficult age.

SCROLL TO KEEP READING THIS POST

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

The idea of the headstrong young woman who is ahead of her time, wanting to be more than just a future wife and mother, is a familiar children’s literary trope. There are always new takes on the idea (My Last Skirt: The Story of Jennie Hodgers, Union Soldier, by Lynda Durrant being one such example) but Wells takes a pretty standard route. India thinks things like, "Girls and women will live just a step up from a good hunting dog till the moon and sun change places in the sky," and about a corset, "It constructs the mind," without having been influenced by anyone or anything other than herself. It seems odd. Sadly, there is little humor to be found here, distinguishing Wells from writers like Karen Cushman or Jennifer L. Holm. Humor is never necessary, but in this particular case I think it works to the book’s disadvantage. We need a little levity between these scenes of historically accurate devastation. It would give us a rapport with the heroine, something which is sadly lacking for the most part.

Ms. Wells is actually at her strongest when she utilizes the numerous facts and historical details at her fingertips. There are some great details that give the book the flavor of authenticity it so desperately needs. For example, there’s a great moment when a minister’s wife moves at a funeral from mourner to mourner. "She spots whoever is weeping, then she collects the tears from the eye in a tear vase," to give as a gift to the grieving mother. Sometimes these details mean having one character explain things to another when, in reality, would be unnecessary (as with Emmett talking to India about miasmas and ill-humours) but for the most part they’re worked in seamlessly. Northern readers will find that the battle of Antietam could also be known as the battle of Sharpsburg and that in the hot Southern sun a body would, "turn black and bloat like sausage in the sun."

I also enjoyed some individual sentence here and there in the book. Things like, "Winter comes in early in 1862, as if it wants to make all of life one big November." But at the same time the entire enterprise has the feel of a book written in pieces and then put together in chronological order. There’s a jumpiness to the scenes. They leap from one moment to another without smooth transitions. There’s also the fact that India’s critique of her beloved South is inconsistent. One minute she will discuss with someone how the South could lose the war and the next she’s biting off someone else’s head for stating a similar opinion. More disturbing that this, however, is the book’s general lack of emotion. At no point during this tale was I inclined to cry. Even when beloved characters die or disappear, the reader is not sucked into the emotions of the tale. Playful romantic scenes are also delivered in a kind of narrative monotone. At one point India’s bare ankle is grabbed and she is pulled down from her horse, but we never get a sense of how she feels. Wells is not a fan of adverbs. She is a straightforward writer but not, I’m afraid, one given to adequately conveying sentiment or feeling. The result is a cold fish of a book.

For a better take on a young woman during the Civil War and her father’s devastating decision to go fight, consider "Hearts of Stone" by Kathleen Ernst. Though Ms. Wells is as historically accurate as any reader could possibly hope for, her book is sadly sapped of emotions and the tone is off. She is a fine writer but "Sharpsburg" is not her strongest work. Consider it oddly forgettable for a book filled with death and decay.

First Line: “It was my father who found Calvin Trimble’s body lying against a stone wall on the Spreckle sisters’ land.”

Notes on the Cover: Very pretty.  I’m a sucker for a lovely sunset-inspired color scheme and this one suits me.  Also gives a good sense of what kind of story you’ll find inside.

Other Blog Reviews: Semicolon, Abby (the) Librarian, and Reading Rants.

Web Reviews: Washington Post

Filed under: Reviews

SHARE:

Read or Leave Comments

About Betsy Bird

Betsy Bird is currently the Collection Development Manager of the Evanston Public Library system and a former Materials Specialist for New York Public Library. She has served on Newbery, written for Horn Book, and has done other lovely little things that she'd love to tell you about but that she's sure you'd find more interesting to hear of in person. Her opinions are her own and do not reflect those of EPL, SLJ, or any of the other acronyms you might be able to name. Follow her on Twitter: @fuseeight.

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

January 2023

Review of the Day: The Tree and the River by Aaron Becker

by Betsy Bird

January 2023

Review of the Day: An American Story by Kwame Alexander, ill. Dare Coulter

by Betsy Bird

January 2023

Review of the Day: Unraveller by Frances Hardinge

by Betsy Bird

January 2023

Review of the Day: My Strange Shrinking Parents by Zeno Sworder

by Betsy Bird

November 2022

Review of the Day: Shuna's Journey by Hayao Miyazaki

by Betsy Bird

ADVERTISEMENT

SLJ Blog Network

100 Scope Notes

Surprise! Announcing CABOOSE

by Travis Jonker

A Fuse #8 Production

Jump Into this Guest Post by Shadra Strickland About Her Latest Book: Jump In!

by Betsy Bird

Good Comics for Kids

Kiss Number 8 | Review

by Johanna

Heavy Medal

What’s Coming in 2023, A Feedback Poll, and Goodbye for Now…

by Steven Engelfried

Teen Librarian Toolbox

WRITING FOR YOURSELF FIRST, a guest post by author M. K. Lobb

by Karen Jensen, MLS

The Classroom Bookshelf

The Classroom Bookshelf is Moving

by Erika Thulin Dawes

The Yarn

A Book 25 Years in the Making: Marla Frazee Visits The Yarn

by Travis Jonker

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Articles on SLJ

Frightful Fun: Halloween Podcasts for Middle Schoolers | Kidcasts

Delectable Dramas for Teens Tuned into the 'Gossip Girl' Reboot | Read-Alikes

18 Films for Young Viewers About Pollution, Native American History, and More

Three Interstellar Novels for Teens Watching 'The Mandalorian' on Disney+ | 2020 All-Star Read-Alikes

SLJ Reviews of the 2020 Newbery, Caldecott, and Printz Award Winners

About Betsy Bird

Betsy Bird is currently the Collection Development Manager of the Evanston Public Library system and a former Materials Specialist for New York Public Library. She has served on Newbery, written for Horn Book, and has done other lovely little things that she'd love to tell you about but that she's sure you'd find more interesting to hear of in person. Her opinions are her own and do not reflect those of EPL, SLJ, or any of the other acronyms you might be able to name. Follow her on Twitter: @fuseeight.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Quinn says

    January 11, 2009 at 6:50 pm

    I completely agree with you on the book, “Red Moon at Sharpsburg”. I also found many bits and pieces that weren’t right, or didn’t fit in.
    At the back of the book, a line reads, “When India’s ailing pa returns to the front, India must summon up the courage to plunge into one of the war’s most tragic and terrifying events: the Battle of Sharpsburg.” This line is terribly misleading, and left me angered. I don’t want to spoil anything, so I’ll only say that this description is the kind of writing that leaves eager readers extremely disappointed.

  2. Augustina Peach says

    June 13, 2009 at 3:44 pm

    I’ve always been a fan of historical fiction, so I was really anticipating reading this book. I was very disappointed, and you’ve hit on the main reason – there was no one to care about. Things happen to India, and she tells us about them, but there was nothing that let me empathetize, which to me is one of the big joys of reading. Such a disappointment.

  3. Mady says

    December 14, 2009 at 6:32 pm

    I just adore this book! It’s interesting, suspenseful, and sad plot twists together to make a wonderful story about a girl fighting challenges in the Civil War.

  4. Cara says

    January 24, 2010 at 1:43 pm

    I happen to disagree with your review. I found the characters easy to get attached to and thought her on and off criticizing of the South showed how hard it was to find your values during the time, especially when you are growing up.

  5. steph says

    January 28, 2010 at 7:48 pm

    My teacher is making us read this book and I find it to be completely boring. I could barely focus because it all seemed so monatone. I don’t read historical fiction and I don’t think I would want to after reading this terrible boring book.

ADVERTISEMENT

Archives

  • External Links

    • A Fuse #8 Production Reviews
  • Follow This Blog

    Enter your email address below to receive notifications of new blog posts by email.

    This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

    This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

    Primary Sidebar

    • News & Features
    • Reviews+
    • Technology
    • School Libraries
    • Public Libraries
    • Age Level
    • Ideas
    • Blogs
    • Classroom
    • Diversity
    • People
    • Job Zone

    Reviews+

    • Book Lists
    • Best Books
    • Media
    • Reference
    • Series Made Simple
    • Tech
    • Review for SLJ
    • Review Submissions

    SLJ Blog Network

    • 100 Scope Notes
    • A Fuse #8 Production
    • Good Comics for Kids
    • Heavy Medal
    • Neverending Search
    • Teen Librarian Toolbox
    • The Classroom Bookshelf
    • The Yarn

    Resources

    • 2022 Youth Media Awards
    • The Newbery at 100: SLJ Celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the Award
    • Special Report | School Libraries 2021
    • Summer Reading 2021
    • Series Made Simple Spring 2021
    • SLJ Diverse Books Survey
    • Summer Programming Survey
    • Research
    • White Papers / Case Studies
    • School Librarian of the Year
    • Mathical Book Prize Collection Development Awards
    • Librarian/Teacher Collaboration Award

    Events & PD

    • In-Person Events
    • Online Courses
    • Virtual Events
    • Webcasts
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Subscribe
    • Media Inquiries
    • Newsletter Sign Up
    • Content Submissions
    • Data Privacy
    • Terms of Use
    • Terms of Sale
    • FAQs
    • Diversity Policy
    • Careers at MSI


    COPYRIGHT © 2023


    COPYRIGHT © 2023