Across Five Aprils is a novel by Irene Hunt, set in the Civil War era. Jethro Creighton, the main character, was Irene Hunt's real grandfather. He told her the stories, and she wrote them down to be Across Five Aprils.

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Plot summary

In the beginning of the story, Jethro Creighton lives on an Illinois farm just before the :p Civil War. He has always been a hard worker, and he is busily tending his family's farm. However, when his schoolmaster and good friend, Shadrach Yale, returns from town with the news that the war has officially begun, Jethro’s world is turned upside-down.

Jethro has three brothers (Bill, John and Tom) and his cousin Eb, most of them eager to join the fight. But Jethro must struggle with the split between them, as three join the Union Army but Bill joins the Confederacy. Later on, Jethro's good friend Shad and brother John also join the Union. John's wife Nancy and their two young sons live with the Creightons during the war. Jethro also has a sister named Jenny. She is in love with Shad, but her father will not approve of marriage for he thinks she is too young.

As the war heats up, so do the tensions among the townspeople living near Jethro. A gang of rowdy men led by Guy Wortman are angered by the fact that one of

One day Jethro travels to town, and overhears the men talking about how traitorous his brother is. Though Jethro is frightened by the men, he thinks nothing of it. While Jethro is riding back, however, he is warned that the men are up to no good. A man (Dave Burdow), whose son (Travis) had been involved in Jethro's sister Mary's murder prior to the events of the story, ends up saving Jethro's life and driving the troublemakers off. However, the trouble is far from over.

After a few months, the men are at it again. They sabotage the family’s property by burning down the farmhouse and then contaminating the water in the well with oil. Jethro is given little time to concentrate on this when he finds out that his cousin Eb is a deserter from the Union Army. He now must face the hard decision of whether or not he should help his cousin. He begins communicating with President Lincoln and begins to look up to him as a leader during the crisis. However, by the end of the war, just when his family is reunited safely, Jethro learns that the president has been shot. It is in these turbulent times that Jethro has grown from an innocent boy to an intelligent man.

Awards and nominations

Across Five Aprils won the most awards of all of Irene Hunt's books. The awards are:

1964- Charles W. Follett Award

1965- Newbery Honor ^[1]

1965- Lewis Carroll Shelf Award

1965- Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award

Footnotes

1. Newbery Medal & Honor Books, 1922-present