The Flags of War

by John Wilson

Overview

The Caught in Conflict Collection is an imprint of fast-paced, historically accurate, morally complex, quick reads for adults and teens. They can be read in any order.

Nate MacGregor knows he must fight for his Southern homeland in the coming Civil War, but for his cousin Walt in Canada West it's not so simple. Walt knows slavery's wrong but, as the tensions increase and war breaks out, the danger of Britain, and Canada, being sucked into the conflict on the side of the Confederacy increases. The two cousins are linked by Sunday, an escaped slave who is using the Underground Railroad to escape from Nate's plantation and get to Canada. As the war gathers momentum, Walt, Nate and Sunday are drawn farther and farther in, until they arrive at a shattering conclusion during the battle of Shiloh.

"…action-filled, tightly written prose. Realistic battle scenes illustrate the senselessness of war…the story offers a fresh take on the conflict - the idea of Canada as refuge for fugitive slaves and the irony of how it was nearly drawn into the war on the side of the South."- Albany Public Library, NY

Wilson "…makes sure that each character is well-rounded, with interesting sides to tell in the story…Easy to read, yet based on historical facts, this book takes the Civil War period in history from a dry read based on statistics, to a real situation being played out on both sides of the 49th Parallel. The impassioned beliefs and actions of people on both sides of the conflict captures the interest and makes the horrors of war real.
It was so well-written that I was drawn in immediately and I usually avoid anything to do with war…History can be interesting."-Susan Miller, Resource Links

"Wilson takes a hard look at war and its consequences through the eyes of young protagonists…(he) provides his usual challenge to black-and-white thinking, prodding readers to think critically. Heroes are hard to come by in this historical fiction, and ethical choices are as difficult to determine as they are to make."-Quill & Quire

Product Details

BN ID:	2940044712300
Publisher:	John Wilson
Publication date:	07/10/2012
Sold by:	Smashwords
Format:	eBook
File size:	470 KB
Age Range:	10 - 14 Years

About the Author

When I read in schools, kids often ask: "Have you always wanted to be an author?" The simple answer is no, I was 43 when my first book (WEET) was published, but I have been an author as long as I can remember. Growing up in Scotland I compensated for a lonely childhood by making up stories in my head and all I do now is write those stories down. History is the trigger for my stories: WWI (Shot at Dawn, And in the Morning), WWII (Flames of the Tiger, Four Steps to Death), or the Wild West (Written in Blood). I firmly believe that the decisions a Roman Legionary (Germania), or a Medieval Crusader (The Heretic's Secret Trilogy), had to make were just as confusing and frightening as any of the decisions we have to make today. That's what I try to bring out in my thirty plus fiction and non-fiction books for kids, teens and adults.

Editorial Reviews

Gr 5-7-Cousins Walt and Nate, both 15, know nothing of one another. Their grandfathers parted over the issue of slavery, and one settled in Canada while the other stayed in South Carolina. Now America is on the verge of the Civil War and both teens are soon caught by war fever. Walt is a Canadian farmer's son trying to figure out how the world works. Nate, the son of a plantation owner, must forsake his friendship with Sunday, a slave, whose tongue was cut off by Frank King, the cruel plantation foreman. Sunday escapes north to Canada, and the vengeful King follows, with disastrous results for the runaway and his new friend, Walt. The parts of this novel that work include sections of action-filled, tightly written prose. Realistic battle scenes illustrate the senselessness of war. However, too often the book is preachy about the evils of war and slavery or overtly teaches a history lesson. This is unfortunate as the story offers a fresh take on the conflict-the idea of Canada as refuge for fugitive slaves and the irony of how it was nearly drawn into the war on the side of the South. Stereotypical characterizations and didacticism mar a potential page-turner. Most readers will not make it through the slow parts to find the few nuggets.-Christina Stenson-Carey, Albany Public Library, NY Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

[The story offers a fresh take on the conflict - the idea of Canada as a refuge for fugitive slaves and the irony of how it was nearly drawn into the war on the side of the South.

From the Publisher