Narrative Nonfiction: Kids in War

Bullets whizzed overhead, narrowly missing twelve-year-old Johnny Clem. The Confederate army was winning the Battle of Chickamauga, and Johnny's unit had begun to retreat. Although he had joined the Union army as a drummer boy, Johnny knew the dangers of the Civil War. Now he clutched his musket tight, prepared to protect himself and his fellow soldiers at any cost. Join Johnny on the battlefield as he fights to stay alive.

In July of 1863, the Battle of Gettysburg raged for three days. Fifteen-year-old Tillie Pierce found herself in the middle of the action when she went to stay with family friends on a farm south of town. As the battle went on, the farm filled with wounded and dying soldiers, and Tillie helped feed and care for these men. Witness one of the most important battles of the Civil War up close with Tillie.

On a rainy spring night in 1777, sixteen-year-old Sybil Ludington and her horse raced through the woods. The American colonists were fighting the Revolutionary War, and Sybil was on a mission. If she didn't succeed, British soldiers would attack her town and everyone in it. Ride along with Sybil and experience the story of the girl who traveled all night to help the war effort.

In November 1942, twelve-year-old Calvin Graham found himself in the midst of an intense battle on a ship in the Pacific Ocean. An explosion damaged his ship and wounded many of his shipmates, but Calvin acted quickly to do his duty and help those around him. Join Calvin aboard the USS South Dakota and experience the story of one of the youngest people to serve in World War II.

Gunfire rang out across the countryside as fifteen-year-old John Cook watched his unit struggle during the Battle of Antietam. Union troops were falling fast as they tried to push Confederate forces out of Maryland. With only a few soldiers left standing, John knew he had to do something. Follow John as he joins in, fighting against all odds to defend his unit during the bloodiest day of the Civil War.