HEARTS OF STONE

Before he leaves to join the Union army, Hannah Cameron’s father tells her, “You may look like a girl, but I know you too well. You’re stubborn as a mule. You’ll help see things through.” And 15-year-old Hattie does, even after Pa’s death in the war, her mother’s death after an attack by bushwhackers and her journey with her siblings to Nashville, now controlled by the Yankees. Hard times continue in Nashville, a city of congested streets, stinking alleys and refugee camps overcrowded with hollow-eyed women and starving children. Ernst’s memorable tale demonstrates in vivid detail how wars affect women and children, and Hattie’s stubbornness does indeed help to keep her family together and her dream of returning to Cumberland Mountain alive. The prose is lively, the action dramatic. Historical details never overwhelm the story, and readers will be hooked from the start. (Fiction. 10-14)