Being the Story of the Enlistment and Due Service of the Boy Charley Goddard in the First Minnesota Volunteers

The story I read was Soldier's Heart. The character is Charley. It takes place in a field were they have the battle. Charley was a kid who thought the Civil War was going to be fun. He lied about his age and goes into the war. When the soldier's got there Charley knew it wasn't going to be fun at all for him. This book is historical fiction.
One of the events takes place in the story is when the soldiers got there Charley had to be in the front and 20 other people were up front with him. When 10 got hit and killed Charley knew it is not going to be fun anymore.
I liked it because my brother tells all about the war to me and my dad tells me a lot of stuff about the war. I think this book is really good. You should read it because it is really good and exciting.

As already stated, this is a fictionalized story of a young 15 year Minnesota boy who fought in the Civil War. Paulsen takes liberties in relating the short life of Charley Goddard. Goddard participated in many major battles of the Civil War such as Bull Run and Gettysburg. He shows the cost of war on the youths that fight it by relating the term soldier's heart. A soldier's heart becomes hardened by the experience of death in battle. He no longer fears death, viewing it as a way to meet the soldiers who proceeded him in death.

This is a story detailing the cruelity of battle. Battle hardens our soldiers and puts severe strains on their mentail peace. This should be remembered in terms of the cost are soldiers are now going through.

"He heard it all Charley Goddard did; he heard the drums and songs and slogans and knew why everybody was crowding. There was going to be a shooting war." The book Soldiers Heart is an exciting novel by Gary Paulsen.
Charley is a 16-year-old that does not want to miss the great adventure at war. He acts 18 and joins Fort Snelling. Charley thinks the war will be fun and exciting. In the first battle when Charley almost gets shot, he realizes the war is dangerous, but he can not turn back now. Charley goes on many adventures and loses many friends. Charley learns that war is not an adventure but a horrible thing to be part of. Young children can learn about the civil war by reading this book. This book is not really for girls. Girls may not like all the violence.

I definitely recommend this book to all readers. Gary Paulsen does a great job in showing how Charley feels that he will certainly die, and how he changes from a happy farmer to a man that will kill to stay alive. This was one of the greatest historical fiction books that I have ever read because of all the amazing events that actually took place. For example, Charley and another man use dead bodies to build a wall to stop a vicious wind. This book had a lot of surprises, like when Charley is hit and wounded at the Battle of Gettysburg. I couldn't wait to turn the page because of all these horrendous and shocking surprises. Because this book is only 102 pages, it makes for an astonishing quick read.

A Soldier's Heart book is definitely man vs. man, and sometimes-even man vs. himself. It affected my reality toward life. This novel taught me to never love violence and war. I thought this is a suspenseful story because Charlie (main character) really liked the fact that he was treated like a King with girls waving hankies. That was all about to change.

I thought the author's purpose for writing this novel was to teach a moral lesson about people with a `soldier's heart.' Some history about the battlefields were involved in the plot, but still with great background description.

Though I loved the book, I wasn't attached to any of the characters. The characters all used confusing words that w `slang.' To emphasize, the vocabulary is just too juvenile, and therefore this book was published for an audience less than twelve.

I think this book is very interesting. This book is interesting because imagining what Charley is going through makes me feel weak because hes so brave and fierce. Also,I think that this book has a great ending filled with action and thought. And whenever i read, the words "Check your weapon" it makes me feel like i don't want to stoop reading. Also when his General says, "Its not over yet" it makes you think about what is going to happen next. I would recommend this book to friends and family because the book includes a lot of history and is a type of book you don't want to stop reading.

"SOLDIERS HEART"
"Soldiers heart" is a great book because it is about a 15-year-old boy Charley and he wants to go to war because he wants to be a man. But he is15 years old and to be in war you have 16 years old and up. How does he really go to war?"
"I think Gary Paulsen the author wants the readers to get the idea about war and how dirty and gross war is because he explains the details all through the book."
"I like the book because I like these kinds of books. And he made all the characters seem real in the book. Plus it is a good way of getting the taste of war. Go to your local library or to your school library."
By;
Todd

"Soldier's Heart: Being the Story of the Enlistment and Due Service of the Boy Charley Goddard in the First Minnesota Volunteers" is a novel by Gary Paulsen. The story follows a 15-year-old Minnesota boy who lies about his age in order to enlist in the Union army during the United States Civil War.

This is a well-written narrative that gets into graphic details of wartime death and violence. Paulsen integrates interesting technical details about Civil War weapons, tactics, uniforms, and medical care into the story. Also of note is Paulsen's account of encounters between troops and civilians. The novel is told in a simple, matter-of-fact style that, combined with the book's often grim subject matter, can be truly devastating.

In june 1861 when the civil war began Charley Goodard had enrolled in the first Minnesota volunteers. He wanted to be a man. For his age he was still a young boy he was only fifteen years old. He hated the war he had no idea it would be so violent.

The main idea is that Carley thought war was going to be cool. But it was bad he didnt like to see people killing or killed. He didnt think anyone should see that kind of of stuff. He didnt like to be shot at.
Soldier's Heart by Gary Paulsen is a exellent book I recommend it to everyone. It had great details. The ending was really cool I understood it very well.

I wholeheartedly agree with earlier reviewer - this book should have won a Newbery Award. This is a book to be read in one sitting to truly feel the impact. It'll only take a hour or so, and it will live in your memory forever. Mr. Paulsen's research is, as usual, incredible and exacting. The fact that all of the events and incidences in the book are based upon truth makes this a must read for any class that is studying the Civil War. Thank you, Gary Paulsen, for caring enough about young readers, to turn your incredible storytelling gift into works such as A Soldier's Heart.

This was a neat book. Charley, the main character, told his story about what it was like fighting in the Civil War. There was some good insight from his perspective, but I think at least once in the book it should have said something about how weird it was to be fighting people from the same country you're from. Also, I think it should have said something about how it was wrong for him to lie about his age to enlist, because obviously, that age limit was there for a reason. It was a neat book overall, and it was interesting to see what the life of a soldier was really like.

A short read about a young man seeking adventure and excitement. Going into a war he thinks nothing big will happen but why miss a chance like this? He soon finds out he was wrong, DEAD wrong. His life soon turns into a nightmare of death and a struggle to survive the savage rebel attacks.

Quickly having to adapt to this new chaotic world he finds himself in, he slowly turns from a loving young man seeking adventure to a beast trying to survive. This is a book of action and survival and not a bad read.

Soldier's Heart by Gary Paulson
In the book Soldier's Heart Charley Goddard, a fifteen year old living in Winona, Minnesota , hears about a "shooting war" that's going to take place. Charley thinks that if a person doesn't act quickly they would miss there chance to be a part of it. He talks his mother into allowing him to join the First Minnesota Volunteers. So in June 1861 Charley decided to take a little walk until he reached Fort Smelling, there he would lie about his age and join in with them.
After joining Charley quickly realizes that it is not as glamorous as he had imagined, all day everyday all the soldiers ever did was drills. Living off of coffee and hard beans Charley quickly begins thinking about deserting, until one day they were called into formation. They were ordered to march to the Mississippi River and on to a steam-boat. They then traveled by boat and train to Washington D.C. Charley was then in the Battle of Bull Run, as it was eventually named. Charley hardly fired a shot because of the overwhelming fire of the Confederates. That was the one part of the book that was fictitious; Charley was actually laid up with a case of dysentery during that battle but the rest was entirely true.
Later in the story Charley takes place in a battle near Richmond, Virginia where the rebels mount a charge using cavalry. The Union soldiers fire and take down every last horse crushing the Confederate charge. As it turns to dusk and smoke fills the air Charley loses his visibility and his sense of what direction to fire. He then kills several rebels and has the brim of his had and stock of his gun shot off. An officer then tells him that he is shot, but Charley didn't feel anything. Charley has to walk back to the aid station to seek help. The surgeon looks at Charley's shoulder and tells him that there is no would and that it is someone else's blood. The surgeon tells Charley that he needs a wind block, and tells him to pile up the dead bodies and limbs to make a wall.
Soldier's Heart is a very good book and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical fiction or any other type of good book.
Robert Harder

Soldier's Heart

By: Gary Paulsen

Number of pages: 102 Genre: Historical Fiction

Publisher: Laurel Leaf

Do you like a book with action, drama, and a main character with lots of bravery? Then you should pick up the book Soldier's Heart by Gary Paulsen.

Soldier's Heart is based on a true story about a fifteen-year-old boy in Minnesota named Charley Goddard, who lies about his age to join the First Volunteers of Minnesota, to fight in the Civil War.

The main character in the story is a young man, Charley, for his age, Charley is a very mature man and is a very hard worker in every aspect. When Charley is sent off to get prepared for the war, he battles some conflicts. One conflict that he has to battle is that his mother sends him letters saying the she wants him to come back home. Charley feels bad and at first wants to come home, but these thoughts gradually leave.

I like this book for many reasons. One reason was that I like to read about historical fiction, and about the Civil War. Another reason why I like this book was because the main character, "Charley," was only fifteen, and I can relate a lot to the things that he thought and what was going on in his head. The last reason is because the author had a good perspective of what went on during the war.

Gary Paulsen was the author of the book Soldier's Heart. He has also written many other books such as Brian's Winter, Hatchet, The Crossing, The Rifle, and Danger on the Midnight River. Paulsen is able to have a great knowledge because he went to war and fought for our country.

The part in the story that I did not care for was the battlefields. They seemed like they were made up, because of the location. I also did not like how the story had started out. I would have liked to know a little bit more about his family and the backgrounds that Charley lived in.

I would give this book four out of five stars. I would recommend this book to people who like to know historical facts about the Civil War and the battles that were fought in it. Overall, Soldier's Heart is an exciting, historical, and adventurous book that anyone would enjoy to read.

I recently read the book Soldiers Heart by Gary Paulsen.I really enjoyed the book a lot. It was about a boy name Charley who lives through the exeriences of the civil war. It tells about his feelings and how he reacts to all of his surroundings. I'm not really into the whole civil war thing, but this book was still interesting to me. It might have been better if I was interested in the civil war though. My suggestions are to read it even if you aren't interested in the war. It's a whole lot more than that.

Soldier's Heart by Gary Paulsen
The book Soldier's Heart by Gary Paulsen is if not the best, one of the best books that he's written. This marvelous book shows us the life of a common soldier named Charley Goddard during the Civil War. Paulsen did a splendid job in describing all the characters and battles in this marvelous book
Charley is a seventeen year old boy who blinded by the parades and the pretty women waving at soldiers , lies about his age so he can go off to battle. His company spends 3 months training before they go off into their first battle. There, Charley and all the other young men realize what they've gotten themselves into, but they don't question their ideals and fight the best their bodies allow them to. At the end the number of casualties is massive, but Charley lives.
After that Charley `s company goes off into many of the most important battles of the Civil War. In their adventure they live many exciting experiences but they see many horrible things like guts coming out of a man and things like that . On one occasion poor unfortunate Charley is ordered to make a wall out of all the dead bodies from his unit to protect the wounded from the cold. This affects Charley very much and shows him that not everything was a parade. The battle of Gettysburg is where Charley lives his most horrifying moment during the war. The part I liked the best is when Charley has the night shift and he starts talking to a soldier from the South that is on the other side of the river and they talk to each other about why this war was happening and how sorry they were to have joined in.
This amazingly exciting book is historical fiction and I strongly urge you to read it for it will be one of the best experiences that as a reader you will have.

The book Soldier's Heart, written by Gary Paulsen is a tragic and heartfelt book. It chronicles the life of Charley Goddard and his service throughout the Civil War.

Charley, a fifteen year old boy living in Minnesota, is living through a tumultuous time in history. There is a war brewing, and he wants to be a part of it. Although only fifteen, Charley enlists in the First Minnesota Volunteers, and is quickly wisked away to the war. He experiences the rigors of Fort Snelling in "drilling" and "manual of arms", and learns how to cope with the less than filling rations. After remaining at Fort Snelling, his company left to relieve the regular army at the frontier forts.

Charley faces the horrors of war for the first time at Bull Run. Facing an unrelenting barrage of bullets from the Rebels, he sees his comrades shot dead as he himself fears for his life. After finally getting to safety (via "Falling Back in Good Order") it is evident that this is not what Charley expected, and he will never be the same again. This begins the sorrowful undertone that stays throughout the book. This was a horrible war, and this first battle delivers the harsh reality of what these men went through.

Throughout the next chapters, Charley is stationed in Washington D.C. He learns the important skill of "farming" (stealing food from rebel homes). He tries to live normally in camp, and when visiting the city. At this point in the story, he becomes sick with dysentery as many soldiers did at this time. It turns out that more soldiers actually died from disease than battle wounds.

After getting over his illness, Charley reports back to action just in time for his second clash with Rebels. Right before, he meets a replacement, Nelson. The battle is well won, and the Union has the Confederates running. On the way back, Charley notices Nelson laying wounded on the field. He had been shot in the stomach, and no amount of medical care could save him. This part conveys such hopelessness and sadness as Nelson knows he is already dead. He ends it quickly with a bullet from his own rifle rather than agonize through the pain.

Charley lived through another encampment through winter. When food was scarce the soldiers had to eat the horses rather than other meat. Many were repulsed by this, but were forced to eat it out of will to survive. This leads up to a large battle in Richmond, Virginia. His unit came upon a Rebel calvary, but quickly and easily defeated them only to turn around and face an infantry, 2,000 men strong. After a few volleys it came down to bayonets, and Charley fought his way through the line, until there were no more rebels to kill.

Charley's final battle was in Gettysburg. It began with him watching the Confederate army get demolished by Union artillery. But, the men alive still plowed forward up the hill. At this point Charley again clashes with the rebels in close combat and is hit multiple times, now realizing his own mortality.

Read the book to find out what happens in the final chapter.

Gary Paulsen's fantastic novel, Soldier's Heart, is an epic story about a fifteen-year-old Minnesota boy, Charley Goddard. Charley joins the army just in time to be sent out in the Civil War battlefield. The trip from Minnesota to the south was extravagant for this young soldier, but what he saw out in the bloody southern battlefields was nothing less than tragic for such an innocent young man. A lot the men that were in Charley's unit were rapidly dying, and he could not believe that he had made it through the battles that took so many of the men he once knew. As the novel progresses, Charley becomes less of a boy and more of a man very quickly through his experiences fighting the southern Rebels. Throughout his time in the Union army, his personality, opinions, and heart mature to that of a soldier's.
Once again, Gary Paulsen's ties to Minnesota are brought into the plot. His writing style is also very similar to that of which is in his other books, making Soldier's Heart very characteristic of Paulsen and his writing. As always, his words flow very smoothly and the storyline is very easy to follow.
Paulsen's novel is very easy to read and is suitable for anyone around the age of fourteen or older. Some of the contents of the novel are graphic and some of the language is slightly questionable for younger readers. Regardless, the detailed language of the novel is justified and is a necessary element for the realism of the story. I definitely recommend anyone around the age of fourteen or older to sit down and enjoy the writing of Gary Paulsen in the novel Soldier's Heart.

Soldier's Heart, Laura-Leaf books,1998, pp.106, $5.50
Gary Paulson ISBN 0-440-22838-7
"He heard it all, Charey did; heard the drums and songs and slogans and knew what everybody and his rooster was crowing. There was going to be a shooting war."
Charley was a fifteen -year-old living in Minnesota when he heard about a shooting war that was against the South. He saw that he would get paid eleven dollars a month and so he enlisted in the war. He started out at Fort Snelling just doing training and he thought it was very boring. After he left there he rode on a train to Manassas. The food was terrific and he thought it was going to be like this always. When he got to the first battle he thought it was the worst thing that he had ver seen with people dying everywhere and being shot at. The general came and told him to run into the forest and so that battle was called the Battle of Bull Run. Then came winter and the food was horrible and the camp was running out of coffe beans. The next battle was very harsh and the union thought they were done for because the rebels outnumbered them very highly. I can't tell the end of that battle, but I can say this, this is a terrific book so please read and find out the exciting outcome.
I absolutly love Gary Paulson and his books are phenomenol. This is just one of his great books and I hope you will read this great book called Soldier's Heart. This book perfectly describes how bad war actually is, and it is a wonderful but sad story.
Baylor Wilson

This book Soldier¡¯s Heart is talking about how does Civil War can change a man at that time. Before the war, the young main character was a good young man. He had lots of passion for his life. He was exciting on the war. Actually he was exciting on every thing. However, after the war, his body, his mentality had gotten hurt. He fired on life. Everything happened during six years. At last he died. He was 22. Soldier¡¯s Heart has good balance between historical fact and fiction. Gary Paulsen didn¡¯t change much thing of facts. He just added some details and especially for the changing of character¡¯s emotion and minds. These details can really touch readers. Gary Paulsen is a good writer. He can use his words to control readers¡¯ mind very naturally. Soldier¡¯s Heart shows the process of the changing of a man¡¯s mentality. Usually we know a war can change a person, even the troop can make person change something. But we don¡¯t know how. Soldier¡¯s Heart writes down all of these changes very specifically. However, the book still leaves some questions to reader. For eample the end of the book that was really good and a kind of mystery, because Gary Paulsen doesn¡¯t tell reader the end of the character. Did he kill himself or not. He let reader to guess, to think about it. I have read the other book that is called Night John that is talking about slavery. I think Soldier¡¯s Heart is better than Night John, because in Night John he didn¡¯t write a lot of details that describe the emotion of characters. I think the reason is he is talking about slavery and black men, but he is not black and he is not slave still. So for him to imagine the details of slaves¡¯ mind is very difficult. However, for Soldier¡¯s Heart, he has some similar experience with the main character. So he can imagine lots of realistic details. Soldier¡¯s Heart is good for teenagers, because the character was teenager. When he joined the war, he was 15. So teenagers might think more about the young man and themselves, the differences and the similar minds. This book is also good for ESL students. Gary Paulsen¡¯s words are very clear and easy to understand. He likes to use the easy words to express the meaning. He wants reader to relish the book, to think about it. So it is good for ESL students.

Soldier's Heart is a excited and realistic book that describe the life of a teenager soldier in the Civil War. This book does not contain fiction stanzas even though is a book, this book has the cruel story of a soldier of 15 years old who joined the Union army in the Civil War to fight against the Confederacy. The cruel and the excited contain of this book makes the book be one of the best of Gary Paulsen. This book is compared with NightJohn book because has similarties of cruel stories of war and of slavery. Those two books from the same author has and explain the true of what life is inside a war and inside slavery. Reading this book i have answered many questions that i had before read it. Questions that only in few good books like this one that contain the reality and not much fiction. In this book anyone can find many things and can find answers to questions about wars in life. In this book the author had a convination that makes reality and that makes the reader with wonders of the tomorrow's life. I really recomend this book to anyone does not matter the age, race, or nothing else, this book has words that makes people see in the mirror of the todays life. I think that the author, Gary Paulsen is good in describe the actions of his characters, he travel the readers to his way to make us to understand. He is a really good writter, he had showed his excellence with the NightJohn book. I really liked and enjoyned reading this book, i recoment to anyone! Is a really good book!

Soldiers Heart, By Gary Paulsen
Soldiers heart is about a boy named Charley Godard who lies to get into the Civil War to fight. Charley, although, had no idea what he was getting himself into. I recently read the book and I think it was about too much fighting. If you like the Civil War then this is a good book for you to read because it tells where the soldiers moved to and how the soldiers lived during the war. Charley Godard is a very brave, eager to fight, and willing person.

This book was a very good book other than Hatchet this was the first book i've read by Gary Paulsen. I thought this book was an excellent book because it kept me interested in what was coming next. It was a well written book and it was very discriptive, I did not understand someparts and was a little on the dull side at times. I would suggest this book to anyone who has a good imagination and likes to use it, also if you like books by Gary Paulsen, read this book!

...In my opinion, Soldier's Heart is an excellent book. Charlie, a young 15 year old, enlists in the Civil War in 1861, thinking it was going to be exciting. Although, he finds out he isn't old enough, so he lies about his age. Fighting in the war teaches Charlie a lesson he will Never forget. He saw many of the fellow soldiers die or recieve wounds. This book was very interesting during all of the battles. I enjoyed it very much, and recommend it highly....

Although the amount of books based on Civil War is huge, very few books have talked about the life of simple soldiers in detail in order to know how the soldiers of the Civil War felt in the war. Gary Paulsen, a gifted writer, has filled up that absence quite successfully by only one book, named Soldier's Heart. Based on the Civil War experience of a real boy Charley, he brings the worst nightmare of the war into the pages of this book. Charley Goddard, a hard worker, soft hearted, adventure loving fifteen years boy has never been any place except his birthplace, Winona, Minnesota. When the war begins, the superficial images of the parade, uniform, pretty girls excite him and lead him to join in the Union army, lying about his age, since men under eighteen aren't allowed to go to fight. But as the harsh reality becomes clear, when he gets in the war, his all images vapor like heated camphor. He hasn't even thought about how terrible the war could be in reality. In his first battle his mind cries and prays to God, "I am not supposed to see these, GOD. No person supposes to see these. How can you let these happen?" But as the time passes Charley changes totally. He participates in all major battles of Civil War and finally gets wounded in the battle of Gettysburg. Gary Paulsen shows how a man's choice or mind changes when he participates in a war and uses Charley, as an example, who likes the shining revolver after war instead of other pretty things that he has liked before gets in the war. Paulsen's tiny details about battlefields help realizing how horrible the Civil War's battles were and also let the reader feel the way characters of the book have felt. Although this book is short and does not clearly describe some events, worth is beyond the price in currency. I have no doubt, if you start reading this book, you won't stop yourself until you reach to end and I, myself, am its great evidence. I highly recommend this book to those who are studying Civil War, especially the high school students, because some places of that story require better quality of understanding. The students who are new with English literature will be helped by this book to understand the easy level of written English.

Soldier's Heart is a historical fiction novel by Gary Paulsen that focuses on one boys experiences during the Civil War. Fifteen year old Charley Goddard, lies about his age so that he can join the First Minnesota Volunteers, which were part of the shooting war around 1861. Charley thought at first the shooting war was just an adventure. He later found out that the shooting war was actual combat on the front lines. Charley fought battle by battle and literally saw the "horror of combat" and learned how to survive through all the battles. Soldier's Heart is based on a true account of a soldier from the Civil War, which really makes this book even more spectacular. The theme could be focused around a numerous amount of things, but mainly I believe the most important ones are: survival and responsibility. Charley goes through some tries and tribulations in order to survive and from the very beginning he was responsible by wanting to fight for and defend his country. This book was GREAT--for any age group!!!!

SOLDIER'S HEART is about a fifteen year boy named Charley Goddard who poses for eighteen to get a position in the Minnesota Volenteers for the Battle at Gettysburg. Charley's dad died when he was a young boy. His mom had been raising Charley and his younger brother Orren since he died. Charley went off to war at only age fifteen. At first he thought it was great,everyone cheering for him and all the other men. One day Charley and the other soldiers were sent off to fight in the Battle of Bull Run. Charley's mother thought that was terrible. Her first son going off to fight in the Battle of Bull Run and shoot people with rifles. Charley fought in other battles like Gettysburg and Fort Snelling but none were as bloody as Bull Run. In the Battle of Bull Run Charley and a few of his buddies got shot. Charley got shot in the stomach. People say he is a boy in a young man's body. He entered the service and was a boy,he came back and was a man.I give SOLDIER'S HEART two thumbs up. It was a great book about harsh times and crude survival. I hope that you enjoy it as much as I did.

This book is about a young teenager who goes into war and experinces the hard life of being a soilder. He has seen friends and other good men shot, killed,and blown to pieces. But after years of fighting, he becomes a smarter and better soilder. I like how the author put a lot of detail and description in this book. I think anybody who likes war and adventures would love this book. You can always get a picture in your head about what the book is talking about. This is a great and exiting book.

For the middle school level, Soldier's Heart is a great book. At the time I read it, I was also reading another war book, All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque. Although Paulsen's book pales in comparison to the classic war novel, the images conjured up in Soldier's Heart were just as graphic and horrific. The theme of the lost innocence of youth is shared between the two novels. Unlike All Quiet on the Western Front, however, Soldier's Heart continues on after the war to show what has become of Charley and how he lives with the scars brought on by the war, which I thought added a different and interesting element to the story. However, there were a few things that made this book a disappointment. The prose was well written but it failed to show any deep emotion or any true sense of Charley's character. It was a short and fast-paced read, which may a plus for some, but I felt the book ended too fast.
I would recommend Soldier's Heart to middle school aged kids, or anyone who enjoys American History.

Gary Paulsen has written a good Civil War book. I have read his other book called Hatchet. If you like Civil War books, then you should read this book, Soldier's Heart. This book is about a young boy who joins the war. There is some killing involved, but it shouldn't be too bad. At the end...Well, why don't you read the book and find out what happens. I would rate this book an 8 out of 10.

I've here recently read the book, "Soldier's Heart" by Gary Paulson. This is a fairly decent book and would be greatly enjoyed if you're into the Civil War. The only real problem I see with this book is the ending. The story builds up this great plot but just drops you for the ending, causing much confusion. On a scale from 1 to 10, 1 being the worst and 10 the best, I give it a 6.

This book is great for middle school/early high school aged readers to truly get a feel for not only the Civil war, but war in general. While some of the descriptions are graphic, the book really delves into the emotions soldier's go through when serving in combat. Whether it is called Soldier's Heart or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, I think this book shows where it comes from and how it is created. The only think I didn't like is that it is hard to follow the time line of the civil war battles in this book.

This book is very amazing. This book helps people relize how hard decision are and how imporant family is. It's about a boy that decides to go to the army so he can support his famliy but his under age. When he sneeks in the army he relizes that it's really scary. Then he found a hero in him self and was proud. The book was very good thats my reveiw of the book.

This book is about a boy named Charley Goddard. He left his farm and joined the army to fight in the civil war. He was 15. He went to war for the money and didn't want to miss out. In the first battle half the men died. To find out how it ends you'll have to read it. This is a great book if you like adventure and knowing what war is like. I would give it a five

Soldier's Heart Book Review

Soldier's Heart is one of the best books I have ever read. It is the story of a fifteen year old boy named Charley Goddard who is eager to go to battle and fight to show that he's a man in the first civil war. But when Charley goes to battle he changes his mind. Seeing people blown away directly in front of him learning the grueling, intolerable life at war. This is a thrilling, action packed, exciting book that proves Gary Paulson to be absolutely brilliant. This book puts you in Charlie's shoes and makes you have respect for our soldiers today Charley entered the war a boy and came home a man with a "Solder's Heart". I would recommend this book to people older than 9 because it definitely is very graphic Charley sees living men suddenly blown to pieces, the fear, noise and terror, and lifeless corpses. As soon as the war starts, Charlie's partner's head gets blown off in front of him. Even though this book is violent it is very educational also. It teaches us about the war, the life of an average soldier.

Although short, Soldier's Heart is definitely worth the hour or so it takes to read. It's a book that takes you in and holds your attention within the first page. The story is powerful and causes your heart to ache as you read on about a fictional and yet factual story on the Civil War. The emotion in this book is captivating and will make you want to read it again and again. And why not? I've read it four times already. An hour is a small price to pay to read such an awesome book.

Solders Heart is about a boy named charley who wants to go to war and he thinks he will become a man. when he is only 15 .when he goes to war he was trained and went to war .
This book proved that war is not good or fun .War is not approprit . I liked this book because of all of the action.
pleas buy this book.
youll love it.
BY Brandon

This book was real interesting and it was really, really good! I love this book! You really feel like you're in the civil war along w/ Charlie. It was pretty depressing, but I liked it alot. Believe it or not, my fave part was when Nelson died. It was very well described and i was gunna cry (trust me, that takes ALOT!)! Very, very good book! A must read!

Soldiers Heart by: Gary Paulson Written by Alex Marvin
This is another great book by Gary Paulson. It is book on the American Civil War, based on the words of Charley Goddard's (a 15 year old boy enlisted in the Union army during the civil war) journal. The book delves deep into the feelings and hardships of being in the civil war. If you like action and a little graphic gore try this book. The setting is stated graphical giving the story a little pep of fun and excitement. So if you like short battle stories filled with lots of action buy this book today. So as not to give away the story I did not say how it ends, but it isn't one of those books with a good story and a bad ending, it is good all around. I believe this is one of the best books Gary Paulson has written and I encourage you to read it also.

Although short, Soldier's Heart is definitely worth the hour or so it takes to read. It's a book that takes you in and holds your attention within the first page. The story is powerful and causes your heart to ache as you read on about a fictional and yet factual story on the Civil War. The emotion in this book is captivating and will make you want to read it again and again. And why not? I've read it four times already. An hour is a small price to pay to read such an awesome book.

Solders Heart is about a boy named charley who wants to go to war and he thinks he will become a man. when he is only 15 .when he goes to war he was trained and went to war .
This book proved that war is not good or fun .War is not approprit . I liked this book because of all of the action.
pleas buy this book.
youll love it.
BY Brandon

This book was real interesting and it was really, really good! I love this book! You really feel like you're in the civil war along w/ Charlie. It was pretty depressing, but I liked it alot. Believe it or not, my fave part was when Nelson died. It was very well described and i was gunna cry (trust me, that takes ALOT!)! Very, very good book! A must read!

Soldiers Heart by: Gary Paulson Written by Alex Marvin
This is another great book by Gary Paulson. It is book on the American Civil War, based on the words of Charley Goddard's (a 15 year old boy enlisted in the Union army during the civil war) journal. The book delves deep into the feelings and hardships of being in the civil war. If you like action and a little graphic gore try this book. The setting is stated graphical giving the story a little pep of fun and excitement. So if you like short battle stories filled with lots of action buy this book today. So as not to give away the story I did not say how it ends, but it isn't one of those books with a good story and a bad ending, it is good all around. I believe this is one of the best books Gary Paulson has written and I encourage you to read it also.

I think that soldiers heart was an intereresting story. Since I am very interested in the civil war, I thought it was great. The main character in the story was charlie, a 15 year old boy who joined the army and lied about his age. Charlie fights in almost every battle in the anerican civil war. In the battle of Gettysburg Charlie is wounded severley. Charlie later dies in the story 7 years later.

This is the best kind of historical novel. Charley Goddard was a real person. The only thing that makes this book a novel is that Charley Goddard did not fight at First Bull Run. I liked this book from the very first page. Paulsen carries the reader smoothly through the book. This book, unlike other books, lets you know what war really is.

In the book, SOLIDER'S HEART, by Gary Paulsen Charley goes into the army even though he is under 18. He is only 15 and he wants to protect his country. Paul is Charley's father but he was killed when a horse ran over him. This was the Civil War in June of 1861. One of his most difficult conflicts wasn't being caught by the sergeant becuase he is only 15 years old. Charley almost got shot at one point by the rebels. Hey say somethings that no one should ever see in their life time like people dieing and suffering. It was set around a battlefield and Gettysburg. The book had its boring parts and parts where you were on the edge of your seat. This boook is boring theres only a couple times when you just dont wanna stop reading this book. i dont recommend this book.

Soldier's Heart

Soliders's Heart was a very historical and depressing book. Its about the war and war is always sad and depressing. The book is a true story, so most of the events really happened.
I think most people from 4th grade to adult would enjoy reading Soldier's Heart , especially people who like history. Even though it doesn't have humor and is pretty serious, it grabs your attention from the beginning until the very end.
One of my favorite things in this book is the author's (Gary Paulsen) main idea. Which is to show people that war isn't glamorous, and that it's very miserable and depressing. The story takes place in a very important time in history, the Civil War. The Civil War has some of the bloodiest battles in the United States history.
This book is one of the best books I've read. I'd give it 10 stars out of 5 stars and if it was a human it'd be president because it RULES!!!!!

i thought this book was interesting because it was true to the historical of the civil war and it had a nice mixture with the fiction of the story. i thought the ending was very truthfull to the times that the charecter lived, and i liked the hard truth of charley dying in the end because of his wounds

Soldier's Heart is an engrossing tale of the Civil War as seen through the eyes of the young hero of the book. Charley is a fifteen year old boy who longs for the excitement of the war and so he lies about his age and enlists in the Union Army. He is not prepared for the horror he experiences or with the reality of war. The author does a good job of letting the reader see and feel what the character experiences as he goes from situation to situation I think this book would be a good one to use in class when studying the Civil War. It really brings home the realism of the Civil War. Mr. Paulsen's details are wonderful, even the slang words of the time are included without being overdone. I was surprised to find also that this story was based on the life of a real Union soldier. I highly reccomend this book, especially to middle school students and to teachers who teach about the Civil War.

I recently read Soldiers Heart by Gary Paulsen. I didn't enjoy the book at all. I am not really interested in the Civil War. The book is about a boy named Charly who is experiencing life as a Civil War soldier. The book explains how he reacts to battle and death.It also tells how he is able to survive. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys the Civil War!