March 2, 2011

The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg - by Rodman Philbrick

Homer and his brother were living with their nasty Uncle Squinton in Maine when the Civil War broke out in 1861.  Before Homer knew what was happening, his seventeen-year-old brother had been sold off to join the Union Army against his will.  This is the story of Homer's quest to find and save his brother, and the amazing adventures that happened to him along the way, from rural Maine to the heart of the war at the battle of Gettysburg, and everywhere in-between.  So many unbelievable things happen to Homer on his journey that you'll never want to put the book down, for fear that you'll miss something. My toddler did not like this book at all, because it distracted me so, and he had to knock me upside the head with Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you See? to get my attention (on multiple occasions).  The best part is Homer himself, whose uncanny ability to bend the truth gets him into all sorts of trouble, and whose courage gets him back out.

This is one of the best books I've read recently, and surely one of the most wonderful Civil War tales ever written.  It's not a war book, it's more a story of brothers, of bravery, of never giving up, and doing whatever it takes, honest or otherwise, to meet your goals.

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