The Drummer Boys Battle: Florence Nightingale (Trailblazer Books #21)
Grade 4-6.  A new entry in a series of Christian fiction that places a young protagonist in the path of a heroic person who has made the world a better place. The horrors of war and disregard for the common soldier underlie this story of two brothers who leave home out of financial necessity to join the British forces fighting the war in Crimea. The older brother dies in the hopeless charge of the Light Brigade. Robby, the younger sibling, has his hand amputated by an unconcerned doctor in a filthy field hospital. The boy is placed in service to Florence Nightingale and becomes devoted to her, admiring her determination, courage, and self-sacrifice. The descriptions of war and its results are vivid. The main characters are engaging, and the historical background is accurate and informative. Villains abound, and they're not on the Russian side in this war. Readers of Patricia Beatty or G. Clifton Wisler's historical novels will be drawn to this title. Unfortunately, the amateurish drawings will limit the audience, and the five-title list for further reading contains one book from 1946 and another from 1951. Too bad, because this is a worthwhile, entertaining adventure story with universal values and appeal.?Marlene Gawron, Orange County Library, Orlando, FLCopyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.