A Guide for Using Across Five Aprils
in the Classroom by DONA
HERWECK RICE
Excellent Historical Novel
This resource is directly related to its literature equivalent and filled with a
variety of cross-curricular lessons to do before, during, and after reading
the book. This reproducible book presents an exciting approach to
teaching well-known literature! It includes sample plans, author
information, vocabulary building ideas, cross-curriculum activities,
sectional activities and quizzes, unit tests, and many ideas for culminating
and extending the novel.
Personal Review: A Guide for Using Across Five Aprils in the
Classroom by DONA HERWECK RICE
I am sorry to hear that several readers who have written reviews of this
book consider it a difficult book or, as one reviewer stated, a novel that
only a "genius" could understand. Perhaps those readers mistakenly chose

this book for a 5th grade U.S. history reading level instead of an 8th grade
U.S. history reading level. It is not appropriate for a 5th grader unless the
student is a very advanced and sophisticated reader. There are many
details about the Civil War era discussed in this book in such a way that it
seems the author expects the reader to be familiar with the topic--at least
the basics! I don't think it is an appropriate novel for a student to read
unless he or she has received some basic instruction in and understanding
of the timeline and political events from 1860 to 1865. I doubt that such
political and historical material is covered in the standard 5th grade U.S.
History curriculum. However, such material should definitely be covered in
most textbooks and curricular materials for 8th grade U.S. History, the
grade level for which this novel seems to be appropriate. Irene Hunt's
novel, Across Five Aprils, takes place in Illinois, a state that considered
itself a "free state" in the pre-Civil War period. However, the Creighton
family (the characters who are the focus of the novel) includes some
members who are staunch defenders of the North and others who are less
sure of the moral high ground of the free states and therefore choose to
fight with the Rebel cause instead. The book does an excellent job of
illustrating the impact of such a decision on a family whose sons turned
against the North no matter how many other sons they had fighting for and
giving their lives for the Union cause. This is a complex book that
encourages readers to ask questions about which side (North or South)
was right and which was wrong during the Civil War. Across Five Aprils is
essentially a coming of age story combined with a historical consideration
of the main themes and events of the Civil War--a brutal war that brought
out the most heroic as well as the basest instincts in people. Many tragic
events befall the Creighton family, but their courage and endurance in the
face of four years of horrible war is admirable. I really liked the members of
the Creighton family. All of them change--some for the better, some not.
The emotional lives of the characters are believably depicted so that their
actions are understandable. A bonus in my opinion is the consistent
attention that the author pays to the setting with her great descriptive
language about seasons, the surroundings, and the weather. All in all, a
fine book for an 8th grade U.S. History curriculum or for someone familiar
with the Civil War and its cultural/historical significance.
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