Kathleen Karr (Children's Literature)
In no particular order, Wisler has pulled together episodic stories about teenagers and even younger adolescents who participated in the Civil War by hook or by crook--runaways, drummer boys, VMI's student martyrs during the Shenandoah Valley campaign. He has even thrown in Belle Boyd, the Confederate spy who barely meets the specifications of the book's age range, but who always makes for a good tale. There is little new to be found here, aside from a brief chapter about the prisoner of war exchange system. The book itself has lovely paper, and the photographs, apparently reproduced from original daguerreotypes and tintypes should have been brilliant, yet even more recent photos are washed out and lacking in definition. This is a pity, since the young faces cry out for closer inspection. 2001, HarperCollins, $18.95. Ages 10 up.

Susie Wilde (Children's Literature)
G. Clifton Wisler, the author of When Johnny Went Marching, gathers sketches of forty-nine young people who faced wartime horrors. In some chapters, Wisler unites short biographies into common themes like drummer boys, those who got around age restrictions, and immigrants who fought. His more successful profiles are those that devote several pages to one individual, like seventeen-year-old Belle Boyd who became a Confederate celebrity because of her spying talents. While these short profiles make a cumulative impact, it doesn't have a strong emotional tone. For the most part, Wisler's children are introduced in terms of the war, little is told about their growing up years, and few details are given to develop them. Sometimes, the accompanying black-and-white photographs are more poignant than the stories themselves. This is a book led by ideas, rather than people. While it lacks the emotional tone, it will please Civil War buffs. 2001, HarperCollins, $18.95. Ages 10 up.

Horn Book (The Horn Book Guide, Spring 2002)
Drawing on copious primary and secondary sources, Wisler tells the personal stories of the youngest soldiers to fight in the Civil War. He laces together quick sketches of one or more boys--and a few girls--in short thematic chapters. His text begins to blur with the piling up of numerous episodes of courage and lives lost, but it's an unforgettable lesson, made particularly compelling by the photos. Bib., glos., ind. Category: Nonfiction-History. 2001, HarperCollins, 116pp, $18.95, $18.89. Ages 14 to 18. Rating: 2: Superior, well above average.

Florence H. Munat (VOYA, February 2002 (Vol. 24, No. 6))
Although both Northern and Confederate armies forbade enlistment of soldiers under the age of eighteen, thousands of teenagers--and children as young as ten--fought in the American Civil War. Inspired by the black-and-white photos of these young recruits, Wisler has meticulously researched their lives to tell the stories of forty-nine of them. John Clem, the eleven-year-old, four-foot tall "Drummer Boy of Chickamauga," escaped his Confederate captors and later became a major general. Nineteen-year-old Richard Kirkland, a Confederate sergeant who slipped into enemy territory after a bloody battle, gave water to several wounded Northerners, thus earning himself the title, "The Angel of Marye's Heights." These young men (and a few women) served as drummers, buglers, infantrymen, cavalry, nurses, orderlies, and sailors for both sides. Six won the Congressional Medal of Honor. Some died in battle or were hung as spies. Many survived to become army officers, farmers, or businessmen. William McKinley became president of the United States, and Oliver Wendell Holmes was appointed a Supreme Court Justice. They came from farms and cities, from Ivy League colleges and military academies, from foreign lands, and out of slavery. The twenty-six short chapters are illustrated by the photographs that identify the person and his or her state of origin. There is a lengthy section on the 54th Massachusetts and other black regiments. The details within this book will fascinate Civil War buffs, and teen readers will identify with the actions of these young people who acted so selflessly and heroically. A noted Civil War historian, Wisler writes clearly and economically and engages readers, forming a sense of closeness to those long ago. For an overview of the war, other texts must be consulted. Glossary. Index. Photos. Maps. Biblio. Source Notes. VOYA CODES: 4Q 2P M J S (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; For the YA with a special interest in the subject; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12). 2001, HarperCollins, 128p, $18.95. Ages 11 to 18.