The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg
by Rodman Philbrick
After their parents die, Homer and his older brother, Harold, are sent to live with thier Uncle Squinton, who forces them to live in a barn and who feeds his animals better than his nephews. When "Uncle Squint" has Harold illegally enlisted (Harold is only 17) in the Union Army, Homer runs away in search of his big brother.
Along the way, Homer encounters such characters as Stink and Smelt, two thieves and bounty hunters, Jebediah Brewster, a Quaker pacifist, whom Homer mistakes for God himself, Reverend Webster B. Willow, who falls for the wrong woman, Professor Fleabottom, who leads a rag tag group of circus performers, and a hot air balloon named Tilda. Throughout his many adventures, Homer, in a fashion that would make Huck Finn proud, displays his knack for embellishing the simplest of truths into full-fledged whoppers while maintaining an undying devotion to his brother.
A humorous, heart-felt, and accurately detailed view of the Civil War through the eyes of a boy, The Mostly True Adventures will take you through a stop on the Underground Railroad, across the water in passenger ferry, over the land in a wagon caravan, through the sky in an "airship," and into the midst of the battlefield to a satisfyingly bittersweet conclusion.
Call Number: F PHI
Reading Level: 5.6
AR Points: 7
Reviews: Booklist, School Library Journal, Publishers Weekly
If You Liked This, You Might Like: Turn Homeward, Hannalee (F BEA), Maude March on the Run! (F COU), When Harriet Met Sojourner (920 C)
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