Cale Wallace has experienced more tragedy than any sixteen-year-old should know. After joining the 30th Pennsylvania Infantry in 1861 to fight for the North, he has made and lost many friends, including a special dog and a former slave. His heroic actions result in serious injury and prison camp, yet he perseveres.

Despite the difficulties he experiences, romance and relationships help fill the void created by the horrors of war. Through his journal, Cale shares his innermost thoughts for his mother and sisters back home in Gettysburg. This simple routine provides some of the stability he so desperately needs. When Cale discovers the real answer for his searching heart, his life is forever changed.

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What readers are saying:

A wonderful eyewitness account of civil war fighting from 1861-1863. I enjoyed the story so much I couldn’t put it down. ~ Amazon Customer

This early book by Madeline Brock reads quite different than her Upward Way series, but I loved it. It had an urgency and bravado that reflects the main character, Cale Wallace. Great character development in the story; I really cared what happened to them. ~ readergirl

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Review:

Cale is not even sixteen but has a strong feeling about his duty to his country and the freedom of everyone that lives there. His daddy had already left for the war and they had not heard a word from him. Cale became a hero of the North by being in the right place at the right time. His luck didn’t entirely hold up when he is captured and taken to prison. During his horrendous time there he does meet up with his daddy and at least he was there when he dies. The war takes his family and friends but when he escapes he still feels strongly about his duty and his journey north to join his company again and continue fighting for what he believes in.

What did I like? This is the third story that I have read of Miss Brock’s and I have enjoyed all of them. It is amazing that a young woman of her age can write with such emotion and clarity. She certainly feels and knows her story and her characters. This is an amazing story that will capture the heart of anyone that reads it.

What will you like? Action, adventure, mystery, history, and heartbreaking reality. Miss Brock has brought this story to life and it shows the research and work that she has put on each page. Her character, Cale grows and becomes a man before he should. Experiencing pain and emotional stress due to the times and the war surrounding him. It shows his heartfelt resolution of what is right and wrong but still not afraid to love when he adopts a stray dog during his journey. It was a heartrending period but a time that history shows us to be a strong Nation. Miss Brock’s story is poignant and distressing of those times but with a very real feel of the day. I look forward to reading anything else that she might pen. ~ Dee