Rating: 
Summary: This is a great book
Review: Rifles for Watie is an excellent book. I never realized that there was so much going on in the Civil war. I first read this book in 5th grade and I loved it. Rifles for Watie is a facinating book about a boy called Jeff who joins up in the army and gets more than he expected! He is a infantry man, a cavalier, a cannonier for two hours and a spy.While Jeff is a spy he finds out that his enemy ,the confederates, are not a bad bunch. He falls in love with a girl called Lucy and she wants him to join the confederates. Will Jeff stay with the Unions or will he betray them to join the confederates?
In all I have given Rifles for Watie for it is exciting and full of adventure. It has deserved the newberry award. If you haven't read it yet then I would recommend you go to the libary or to a book store and read it!!! But be warned once you red this you will not stop until the end!!! --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.
Rating:
Summary: I think I read it when I was 13 or maybe more........
Review: I really enjoy this book but, I'm not leaving it at that.I think this book should and could be made into a film.It's got all the ingredients.A young man called Jeff in his teens(I'm about his age actually)who goes off to war to fight for his homeland for the Union.(same old story right?)EXCEPT about halfway through the book he joins the Rebel side.Which ideals are best for fighting a war? Help keep the union together and get rid of slavery or fight to help save the cherokee indians lands fighting under conel Watie of the confederete army? Sounds pretty good doesn't it? Heroic battles where Jeff is pitted agains't Rebels in pitched battles including a time where he gets a medal for bravery.Deadly skirmishes(that really give the story it's excitment)often by suprise from the enemy.Jeff meets and loses friends on both sides that are each nice in their own way.Both sides have very different ways they fight the war.A captivating cherokee girl(totally a rebel) named Lucy meet and come to love each other utterly despite their differances.
I have given only a few of the points that would make this book a good movie.I don't have room to write more.I guess it could be rated PG-13 for battle sequences but not for other lewd content thats not in the book.I hope in to it in theaters in a few years!(I think Peter Jackson could do a good job seeing how he did Lord of the Rings so well.
Rating:
Summary: A *GREAT* Civil War novel
Review: I was somewhat skeptical of reading "Rifles for Watie" when I saw that it was originally written in the '50's, believing that any book that old must be sappy and cheap. I was certainly suprised! This book ranks very high in my favorite books.Jeff Bussey, a teenage Kansas boy, decides that he wants to join the Union army, especially after southern bushwackers come near his family's home. Jeff is sure that fighting the Confederates will be a great adventure for he and his friends, but he is soon suprised - when he sees the results of terrible battles, he begins to doubt the honor and excitement of war. When Jeff falls in love with a spirited Cherokee-Confederate girl, and also when he gets involved with some other Confederates, he learns that the other armies are just made up of boys like him, who fiercly honor their country. This was an excellent, exciting, interesting, and, at the same time, educational young adult novel on the Civil War, and I'd definitely recommend it for ages 12 and up! You may also enjoy "The Journal of James Edmund Pease", "The Boys' War", and "Soldier's Heart", also on the Civil War, and, on the also intriguing Revolutionary War, the book "Johnny Tremain" and the wonderful movie "The Patriot.
Rating:
Summary: Example of finest fiction for younger readers
Review: I first read Rifles for Watie in sixth grade and still find that almost twenty years later I enjoy the book almost as much now as that first read. Written by Harold Keith, this book takes you with Jeff Bussey as he moves from his family farm in Kansas to the forefront of the civil war theater. Keith vividly depicts Jeff's interaction with the union army and many of the battles fought. Keith does an exceptional job of adding dimension to Jeff's experiences. I can't say enough about this book. Already past its fiftieth birthday, I believe this book is as fresh as the day it was written and I look forward to sharing it with my son.
Rating:
Summary: A *GREAT* Civil War novel
Review: I was somewhat skeptical of reading "Rifles for Watie" when I saw that it was originally written in the '50's, believing that any book that old must be sappy and cheap. I was certainly suprised! This book ranks very high in my favorite books. Jeff Bussey, a teenage Kansas boy, decides that he wants to join the Union army, especially after southern bushwackers come near his family's home. Jeff is sure that fighting the Confederates will be a great adventure for he and his friends, but he is soon suprised - when he sees the results of terrible battles, he begins to doubt the honor and excitement of war. When Jeff falls in love with a spirited Cherokee-Confederate girl, and also when he gets involved with some other Confederates, he learns that the other armies are just made up of boys like him, who fiercly honor their country. This was an excellent, exciting, interesting, and, at the same time, educational young adult novel on the Civil War, and I'd definitely recommend it for ages 12 and up! You may also enjoy "The Journal of James Edmund Pease", "The Boys' War", and "Soldier's Heart", also on the Civil War, and, on the also intriguing Revolutionary War, the book "Johnny Tremain" and the wonderful movie "The Patriot.
Rating:
Summary: Classic Civil War Adventure, "Great Fun"
Review: I first discovered this book when my school librarian aunt brought home a copy one summer to preview. It become probably my favorite library book from 4th to 12th grade. I probably checked it out 20+ times. "Rifles.." recounts the adventures of Jeff Bussey during the western campaigns of the Civil War in Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas and Missouri. It tells of friendships on both sides of the war. His love of the rebel girl Lucy, his friend Noah the tramp printer and the life of a common Union soldier and a Rebel Cavalryman. The book recounts battles and the small world within them that a soldier plays, often missing the large results that are defined with the outcome. It tells of courage, and fear and determination as Jeff is pursued for miles in his daring escape from the Confederate army. This book you must include in your home library. I still pick up my copy and read it again, still as enjoyable as the first time back in Idaho.
Rating:
Summary: Rifles For Watie
Review: Rifles for Watie is a book about a boy who is 16 years old, joining the Union army. After training, (Jeff which is his name) marches long hours to another fort where in a few days are going to fight. Jeff can't wait to fight, butwhen the are marching in to battle a general orders him to retrieve another general that was left behind.
After some small fighting later, General Blunt orders Jeff to go be a scout and spy on the Confederate Army. He is sent there to get the information needed to win the Civil War. When he does get the info he plans to leave A.S.A.P. because he is 14 months overdue. When he is running away a Confederate spots him, and starts to chase him. It is a long and weary chase all along Texas Road but he manages to get back to the fort and help the Union Army win.
Rating:
Summary: The best book i've ever read
Review: Simply an amazing book! It does evrything a historical fiction novel should. It hits all the highs and stays up there. In this story you breathe, smell, see, even feel the civil war around you. A fascinating book!
Rating:
Summary: AN AMAZING EXPERIENCE!
Review: As a Civil War historian, I found this book fascinating! I knew little about the war in the very far west, or about Indians fighting for the Confederates! This book brought it all alive for me! But this book also deals with the issues of the war for both sides! If you enjoy serious Civil War stories, then this book is for you! Grade: A+
Rating:
Summary: Compelling Novel for a 4th Grader....
Review: I can't believe this book is still available! This was one of the very few books I remember by title that I read when I was in the 4th Grade in 1957. It made quite an impression on a ten year old... so much so that I can recall it so vividly after forty-six years. It had to be great to leave such a positive impression for so long.
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