Bibliography
Peck, Richard. The River Between Us. New York: Puffin, 2005.
Plot Summary
Tilly Pruitt, the teenage daughter of a somewhat poor family from Illinois, lives with her mother, sister and twin brother. They take in two mysterious female borders in 1861, the fancy Delphine and the silent, darker Calinda. There is much speculation as to who these two women are, but they quickly find a place with this rural family. As the Civil War draws closer, tensions rise threatening to test everyone’s allegiances. Noah, Tilly’s brother is sent off to war and from that point on, everything changes.
Critical Analysis
Peck writes a compelling story with the U.S. Civil War as the backdrop that is obviously well researched. It is authentic, with actual Civil War battles, towns and dates listed. The reader gets a glimpse of the agony and pain the Civil War caused, not just for soldiers, but for the families they left behind. A lesser told women’s perspective is given of the U.S. Civil War as Tilly and Delphine experience it first hand on their adventure to save Noah.
The style of the book is written as Howard Leland Hutchings recalls a childhood story of visiting his Dad’s childhood home and learning the stories about his grandparents. Starting in chapter two, Tilly’s character is the narrator. The two stories come together in the last chapter. As the story unfolds, new revelations are made about his family that reveal the issue of race and what implications being white or black held. This story is realistic to the Civil War era. There was even a distinct dialect difference between northern Tilly and southern Delphine.
Awards Won and Review Excerpts
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: “In this thoroughly researched novel, Peck masterfully describes the female Civil War experience, the subtle and not-too-subtle ways the country was changing, and the split in loyalty that separated towns and even families.”
BOOKLIST: “It's a riveting story that shows racism everywhere and young people facing war, not sure what side to be on or why.”
Connections
The students can follow up with “The War Within: a Novel of the Civil War” by Carol Mathis and compare the experiences of the two families.
Students can choose a specific battle listed within “A River Between Us” and research the battle to find parallels from the book.
Peck, Richard. The River Between Us. New York: Puffin, 2005.
Plot Summary
Tilly Pruitt, the teenage daughter of a somewhat poor family from Illinois, lives with her mother, sister and twin brother. They take in two mysterious female borders in 1861, the fancy Delphine and the silent, darker Calinda. There is much speculation as to who these two women are, but they quickly find a place with this rural family. As the Civil War draws closer, tensions rise threatening to test everyone’s allegiances. Noah, Tilly’s brother is sent off to war and from that point on, everything changes.
Critical Analysis
Peck writes a compelling story with the U.S. Civil War as the backdrop that is obviously well researched. It is authentic, with actual Civil War battles, towns and dates listed. The reader gets a glimpse of the agony and pain the Civil War caused, not just for soldiers, but for the families they left behind. A lesser told women’s perspective is given of the U.S. Civil War as Tilly and Delphine experience it first hand on their adventure to save Noah.
The style of the book is written as Howard Leland Hutchings recalls a childhood story of visiting his Dad’s childhood home and learning the stories about his grandparents. Starting in chapter two, Tilly’s character is the narrator. The two stories come together in the last chapter. As the story unfolds, new revelations are made about his family that reveal the issue of race and what implications being white or black held. This story is realistic to the Civil War era. There was even a distinct dialect difference between northern Tilly and southern Delphine.
Awards Won and Review Excerpts
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: “In this thoroughly researched novel, Peck masterfully describes the female Civil War experience, the subtle and not-too-subtle ways the country was changing, and the split in loyalty that separated towns and even families.”
BOOKLIST: “It's a riveting story that shows racism everywhere and young people facing war, not sure what side to be on or why.”
Connections
The students can follow up with “The War Within: a Novel of the Civil War” by Carol Mathis and compare the experiences of the two families.
Students can choose a specific battle listed within “A River Between Us” and research the battle to find parallels from the book.
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