Private Captain: A Story of Gettysburg - Hardcover

Crisp, Marty

3.95

65 ratings by Goodreads

9780399235771: Private Captain: A Story of Gettysburg

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0399235779 ISBN 13: 9780399235771

Publisher: Philomel, 2001

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In 1863 Pennsylvania, twelve-year-old Ben and his dog Captain set off in search of Ben's brother Reuben, who is missing from the Union Army.

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From Publishers Weekly:

Set during some of the most decisive days of the Civil War, Crisp's (Buzzard Breath) contrived historical novel thrusts a ragtag crew on a seemingly impossible quest. Twelve-year-old Ben sets off secretly from Lancaster to find his older brother, Reuben ("fifteen years older than Ben, and more like a father than a brother really"), an officer in the 106th Pennsylvania Company A, and bring him back to run the family store after their father's death. Ben is joined first by Reuben's dog Captain, an extremely loyal and capable hunter with "the best nose in three counties," quickly followed by Ben's "pesky" 11-year-old cousin Danny, a spoiled only child, and a runaway milk cow. This obtrusive cast's search becomes ever more daunting. They encounter burning bridges, shooting, kindly Rebs and menacing Rebs, deserters, and wounded and battle-scarred boys not much older than themselves. All the while they head into the Battle of Gettysburg, where they realize the enormity of both armies and the human costs of the war. Unfortunately, much of the dialogue feels stale: "Wait! Lookee here," says a Confederate soldier as he spies Ben and Danny. "They swum that there river to git to us."Crisp lessens the impact of the Gettysburg sequences with a not especially believable subplot hooking Ben up to Civil War photographer Mathew Brady and an overly neat wrap-up built on Captain's super-heroic feats. Despite the promise of the action-packed story line, the execution is slack. Ages 10-14.

From School Library Journal:

Gr 4-8-Crisp manages a remarkable feat here: she melds the well-rounded characterization and vivid attention to detail common to classic writers of historical fiction with the more colloquial and leaner writing style of more recent authors. Twelve-year-old Ben runs away from home to find the 106th Pennsylvania, Company A, and his older brother, Captain Reuben Reynolds. Their father has just died, and the boy wants Reuben to come home, take over the family store, and make things as right as they can be. Reuben's dog-the "Private Captain" of the title-and cousin Danny tag along on the quest, much to Ben's displeasure, but the younger boy's often graceless and foolish behavior becomes an important element of the story, as well as of Ben's growing up. The two meet up with Confederate and Union soldiers, see good and bad in places they might not have predicted, and come to understand the dangers and grim harvest that war brings with it. Some episodes are quite strong-including Ben's help in tending to the bodies of the dead after the battle-and are sharply rendered. However, this novel is also a story of the indelible bond between a dog and his owners, and the undergirding power of family love. Crisp deserves praise for telling the story at the length and depth it deserves.-Coop Renner, Moreno Elementary School, El Paso, TX

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