The Last Brother
The Last Brother by Trinka Hakes Noble; ill. by Robert Papp
The Last Brother is a Civil War story about a young boy, Gabe--only 11 years old--who lies about his age to join the Union Army. He does so because he's the youngest of four brothers, and the oldest two have already died in the war. When his only remaining brother, Davy, decides to join the cause, he goes with him. He's a bugler for the Union, and he's about to take part in the Battle of Gettysburg ... but beforehand, stealing a moment away to himself, he encounters another boy his age named Orlee--a bugler for the confederacy. They spend a few minutes just acting like boys, before they're called back to their duties. The encounter changes Gabe forever.
This story is more appropriate for older elementary readers; I think younger readers might have trouble understanding the gravity of the story. It would be a great addition to a unit on the civil war.
Lesson idea: Talk about the battle of Gettysburg with students. Fifth graders are about the same age as these characters, so ask them to put themselves into Gabe's shoes. Do they find him relatable? Would they have done the things he did in the story?
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The Last Brother is a Civil War story about a young boy, Gabe--only 11 years old--who lies about his age to join the Union Army. He does so because he's the youngest of four brothers, and the oldest two have already died in the war. When his only remaining brother, Davy, decides to join the cause, he goes with him. He's a bugler for the Union, and he's about to take part in the Battle of Gettysburg ... but beforehand, stealing a moment away to himself, he encounters another boy his age named Orlee--a bugler for the confederacy. They spend a few minutes just acting like boys, before they're called back to their duties. The encounter changes Gabe forever.
This story is more appropriate for older elementary readers; I think younger readers might have trouble understanding the gravity of the story. It would be a great addition to a unit on the civil war.
Lesson idea: Talk about the battle of Gettysburg with students. Fifth graders are about the same age as these characters, so ask them to put themselves into Gabe's shoes. Do they find him relatable? Would they have done the things he did in the story?
Discover more about the author
Discover more about the illustrator
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