I liked how the author included religiosity with queer themes together without bashing one another. I thought that it was very engaging and I liked the time skips in between, without them feeling too much or confusing. The writing was very emotive and engaging for children to read.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

I received this book for free from netgalley for an honest review.

Really well thought-out book with amazing characters and excellent setting.

What a GREAT middle grade novel.

Amos Abernathy loves learning about history and more than that, wants to learn about how his own identity has been reflected through history. Because it seems like queerness is missing from every story he’s learned. Determined to change that, Amos and his friends do research and learn that people like them have always existed.

I loved this book. A refreshing voice and just the cutest kids who are so earnest in their beliefs and actions. I wanted to take their side and be vocal for their cause when adults fail them.

A very inspiring read for children and adults alike.

4 stars

This intriguing look at queer history takes place at a living history park. The main concept of the book is how both queer and black history has been omitted from a lot of our history books, Amos is queer and his best friend Chloe is black. Amos, Chloe, and their new friend Ben, who is very closeted, become partners trying to come up with a new exhibit for the Living History Park. For this project, Amos delves into Civil War history to find examples of people who lived during that time who didn't conform to society's standards. One of the people he finds is Albert Cashier, a potentially trans man, born Jennie Hodgers, who changed their name to fight in the war and was so committed to it that they never changed it back. Interestingly, Amos writes letters to Albert throughout the book adding an interesting flavor. Leali did a great job at showing the kids' efforts to find their representation, but also to show the push back that they received from the community. We have come a long way, but there is still an even longer way to go for many. The history and discussions over whether or not marginalized communities had a right to be seen at a historic center deal with a lot of the topics that communities are facing right now. Well worth the read.

Absolutely brilliant story about LGBTQ+ history and what attempts to erase it means for today's queer youth. Love the format of storytelling in both the past and present and then having them meet up at the end. Great characters and story!

Heartwarming and humorous (a phrase used too often in reviews, but oh-so-right for describing this book), THE CIVIL WAR OF AMOST ABERNATHY reminds us that queer people have always existed (and will continue to excited). An absolute gift of a book to young and old audiences alike!

Interesting elements here. I like that it centers on historical reenactments, something we don't often see in middle grade fiction. That of course leads us to the central questions - who tells history and thus whose story gets told. It's asking us to consider all of the people our history books don't mention. An ultimately empowering if a bit idealized plot.

A timely story about prejudice in past and present and young boy coming into his own. Fast paced, this middle grades novel packs a punch full of love, research, and historical accuracy.

The Civil War of Amos Abernathy, by Michael Leali, features middle schooler Amos, a historical re-enactor at a 19th century living history park in central Illinois that’s run by his mom. Re-enactors will find the descriptions of historical re-enacting spot-on, and for those who've never been involved in living history events, the details provide an excellent sense of setting, place, and action. Amos has the support of his friends and family, but not everyone in his small town is accepting. Amos is looking for a deeper feeling of belonging and representation, which leads him to search for LGBTQ+ people in history. He discovers Albert D. J. Cashier, a Civil War-era soldier from a nearby Illinois town who was born a woman, fought in the war as a man, and may have been trans. Amos and his friends decide to share Albert’s story as part of the living history exhibit, but they find it’s not an easy task to convince the town. The conflicts felt by Amos’s mom as she struggles to support her son’s need for representation while also protecting her job are realistically presented. The questions raised by Amos and his friends about erasures and the lack of diverse representation throughout history are relevant and realistic. This book skillfully addresses the lack of LGBTQ+ history for kids with an enjoyable story that gives readers much to think about long after they’ve read the final page.

Wow. Easily one of my fave books all year. This book should win the National Book Award for Young Peoples Literature. Timely, historical, fun and whimsical. Deftly addresses issues on a basic level, yet delves much deeper. What a debut! Looking forward to watching this author rise.

This was a really sweet book that tried to tackle some really difficult subjects. In my opinion this book did a pretty good job of succeeding in that goal. I enjoyed the switches between dates as well. I find that that trope is not always easy to pull off but I thing Leasi did it beautifully.
I would definitely recommend this book to any kid who loves history or tales of kids standing strong in what they believe in.

This is thoughtful and heartfelt story. Amos Abernathy enjoys history more than almost anything else, and spends much of his free time volunteering as a historical reenactor at a living historical park run by his mom. One day, he meets Ben, another history buff, and feels a spark. This prompts him to wonder about the history of LGBTQ+ people in nineteenth-century Illinois, where he lives. As he embarks on this research project with his best friends and an often reluctant Ben, Amos learns there is more to history that he realized. Together, he and his friends hatch a plan to present their findings to the town., and soon realize the town, including some members of their own families, may not be that excited about their work.

This is a touching book, with compelling characters, an engaging story, and strong writing.

Highly recommend!

A middle grade novel about really hot button topics—the struggle of deciding who decides what makes accurate history, and whose stories are told. Compelling characters and story. The back and forth flashback chapters were a little confusing for the age group, and while I understand Amos as the point-of-view character, I thought it did the other characters (his friends) a bit of a disservice to only see them through his eyes.

"I'm going to find them."
Ben turned back to me. "Who?"
"The queers."
"What?"

The Civil War of Amos Abernathy is an absolute delight, and a middle grade read that I've been looking for my whole life.

Amos is a 13-year-old gay boy living in Illinois, where he spends most of his time volunteering as a historical reenactor and hanging out with his best friends, Chloe and Ben. But lately, there feels like there's something more between him and Ben, and it feels like he and Chloe are having to fight everyone to be seen and heard -- him being gay and her being a Black girl. So Amos sets out to find LGBTQ+ people in the history he's surrounded by, and finds Albert D.J. Cashier, a Civil War soldier who might have identified as a trans man. Not everyone around them is as eager to display more of history that doesn't center white, straight, cis men, including Ben's family, who is hesitant to let him hang out with Amos, but he won't let that stop him.

This story has so much life in it, and that's a credit to Amos as a character. He's smart, sensitive, inquisitive, and self-aware, not too mention brave. His narration brings the novel -- which is told in alternating parts through his letters to Albert over the course of several months and his narration of one day in the present. It was amazing to read about a character who calls out their own behavior as well as others' and uses his privilege to help his friends. He's not a perfect character, but his chaos is what makes him so perfect to help the reader connect. Chloe and Ben are awesome additions to round out the trio, and their individual stories are sure to resonate with readers as well.

The Civil War of Amos Abernathy is a great read for children and adults to not only see why these stories are important and why history needs to be shown in full, but to remember why young kids' voices are so critical to include when enacting change. The resolution to the story may be a bit idealistic, but the hope that it sparks is enough to make me want to research more about my region's queer history myself. Thank you Amos, Chloe, Ben, Albert and Michael Leali for giving me a story that gives me so much pride and hope.

Your friend,
Julia

I think we're in a nice trend of middle grade LGBTQ+ books that have a rural setting becoming more prevalent. Having this take place in a Civil War Living History Park is a great way to include a lot of teachable moments throughout the book, but it did feel a little preachy at times. Overall though, I feel it's a great addition to middle grade novels coming out this summer!

Thought-provoking, intriguing, and powerful! Reminded me of A High Five for Glenn Burke with its historical research. I loved Amos’ determination; the characters were portrayed wiry authenticity, revealing the gamut of how different people feel about LGBTQ+ topics.

Thank you, HarperCollins Children's Books, for allowing me to read The Civil War of Amos Abernathy early!

I loved this story! Amos is such a passionate kid, and I flew through the pages. Michael Leali’s writing is flawless, and he gave Amos such a clear and engaging narrative. I also adored the dual timeline, one set from August 2021 to August 2022 and one on August 13, 2022. Michael Leali is an author to watch out for, and I can’t wait to read his next book!

This is my favorite ARC that I've had the opportunity to review this year. Amos is all heart, with driven by passion and curiosity and earnest desire to do right by his friends, his community, and justice. His best friend, Chloe, is equally fierce. It was a joy to follow their advocacy efforts in their small town, both through the flashback letters to Albert and through the big day. The history was clearly well researched and I learned a lot of new things. I highly recommend for any big middle grade contemporary fans -- but this might have crossover appeal to historical fiction fans as well, due to the re-enactment setting.

Debut author, Michael Leali, beautifully weaves together the stories of multiple characters: Amos, Ben, Chloe, and Albert. Amos is the openly gay protagonist who loves being an historical reenactor at the Living History Park, where his mother is in charge. He volunteers there with his best friend, Chloe, who wants to be the first Black, female blacksmith apprentice, and newcomer, Ben, a cute new volunteer who Amos likes and he thinks that Ben likes him too.

The text alternates between Amos's first person narration of events and the letters he writes to Albert Cashier, a Civil War soldier that likely would identify as a trans man today, whom Amos learns about when he begins researching LGBTQ+ people from the 1800s. His letters to Albert revolve around his crush on Ben, who is on his own path of self-discovery while attempting to navigate through his feelings and identity with homophobic parents.

Not only does the plot build suspense, but there are also important messages of white privilege for cisgender males, homophobia, sexism, and racism that are all brought to light through the lenses of identity and empathy. Representation matters and The Civil War of Amos Abernathy is a title that allows kids to see themselves and know that they matter. This is a book of the heart.