Across Five Aprils

". . . An intriguing and beautifully written book, a prize to those who take the time to read it, whatever their ages."
—The New York Times

"This is a beautifully written book, filled with bloodshed, hate, and tears, but also with love, loyalty, and compassion, with unforgettable characters, and with ideas and implications that have meaning for young people today."
—Chicago Tribune

"A powerfully moving story about the Creighton family of Southern Illinois and their personal struggles in the War Between the States. . . ."
—Chicago Daily News

". . . Drawing from family records and from stories told by her grandfather, the author has, in an uncommonly fine narrative, created living characters and vividly reconstructed a crucial period of history."
—ALA Booklist

"An impressive book both as a historically authenticated Civil War novel and as a beautifully written family story. . . . The realistic treatment of the intricate emotional conflicts within a border-state family is superb. The details of battles and campaigns are deftly integrated into letters and conversations, and the characters are completely convincing."
—University of Chicago Center for Children's Books

Irene Hunt is the author of many distinguished books for young people. Her first novel, Across Five Aprils, was a Newberry Honor Book and received a Lewis Carroll Shelf Award. For her second novel, Up a Road Slowly, Ms. Hunt was awarded the Newberry Medal. Ms. Hunt was born in southern Illinois and has received degrees from the University of Illinois and the University of Colorado. For many years she taught in the public schools of northern Illinois, and later she taught psychology at the University of South Dakota. Ms. Hunt now lives in Florida.