What a great read...Civil War story, destitute family under terrible circumstances being held together by the oldest sister (who isn't very old), terrible living conditions...makes Gone With the Wind look like a good-time book! I guess I had never thought about the refuge camps during Civil War time. I really liked the main character who was trying to do the right thing even though it wasn't always possible. ( )

If you are looking for a Civil War story that does NOT deal with a young soldier, or the Underground Railroad, Hearts of Stone by Kathleen Ernst may be the book for you. Hannah Cameron is 15 and lives in East Tennessee with her Ma and Pa, brother and younger twin sisters. When their father is killed fighting in the Union army and their Ma dies suddenly, it's up to Hannah to keep the family together. She does this by packing them up and walking to Nashville in search of their aunt. Getting to Nashville is hard and surviving there is even harder and Hannah doesn't know how long she'll be able to keep her little family going.

The Good: The author addresses the fact that nobody (or army) is all good or all bad, that they are just people. Hannah is a likable heroine and you can feel the fierce love she has for her family. ( )