Across Five Aprils
| Author | Irene Hunt |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Historical novel |
| Publisher | Berkley |
Publication date | 1986 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 192 |
| ISBN | ISBN 0425102416 Parameter error in {{ISBNT}}: invalid character |
Across Five Aprils is a novel by Irene Hunt, set in the Civil War era. Jethro Creighton, the main character, was Irene Hunt's real grandfather. He told her the stories, and she wrote them down to be Across Five Aprils. The book had the honor of a melodic metalcore band of the same name being named after it.
Plot summary
In the beginning of the story, Jethro Creighton is a nine year old who lives on a quiet Illinois farm just before the Civil War. He has always been a hard worker, and he helps out a lot around the farm. However, when a friend of his returns from town with the news that the Civil War has officially begun, Jethro’s world turns upside-down.
Having four brothers, Jethro is quick to discover that they all are eager to fight… But Jethro must then struggle with the split between them, as two go to the Union Army and one to the Confederacy.
As the battle heats up, so do the townspeople that live near Jethro. A gang of rowdy men led by Guy Wortman are strongly apposed to the fact that Jethro’s brother joined the Rebel cause. Jethro travels to town, and overhears the men talking about how traitorous Jethro’s brother is. However, though Jethro is frightened by the men, he thinks nothing of it. While Jethro is riding back, however, he is warned that the men are up to no good. His helper is one of the Creighton’s enemies. The man saves Jethro from disaster that night, but that is not the end of the gangsters.
After a few months, the men are at it again. The gangsters sabotage the Creighton’s property. However, Jethro does not have a lot of time to lament over this. When he finds out that his cousin is a deserter of the Union Army, Jethro faces the hard decision whether or not he should help his cousin and perhaps pay the penalty, or if he should ignore him completely.
Finally, Jethro makes up his mind to help, but soon encounters problems. He soon gets himself and his brother out of them. Though one of the brothers never makes it home, soon the family is almost all together again, as the Civil War comes to a close.
Awards and nominations
Across Five Aprils won the most awards of all of Irene Hunt's books. The awards are:
1964 Charles W. Follett Award
1965 Newbery Honor [1]
1965 Lewis Carroll Shelf Award
1965 Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award
Footnotes
- ^ "Newbery Medal & Honor Books, 1922-present". ala.org. Retrieved January 22.
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