by Rodman Philbrick
copyright 2009
Scholastic, Inc., New York
ATOS Level: 5.6
Lexile level: 950
Interest level: Grades 4-8
Description
Twelve-year old Homer P. Figg colorfully narrates his exploits, traveling from Maine to Pennsylvania in pursuit of his older brother who has been wrongly conscripted in the Union Army. It's a hero's journey, really, as Homer overcomes obstacles in the form of an abusive uncle, slave bounty hunters, con artists, and a traveling medicine show led by a Confederate spy, landing him ultimately in the middle of the Battle of Gettysburg. Though Homer is brutally treated throughout the story, his descriptions are comic and he always manages to escape with the help of strangers and his own guile (including a knack for telling lies). All the humor helps the reader get through the carnage of Gettysburg at the end of the story. What Homer describes on the battlefield is not overly graphic, but the writer doesn't shy away from describing death, making this otherwise funny story best for the upper grades.
Qualitative Analysis
Structure
- Homer relates his adventures in mostly chronological order, with some looking back into his past.
Language Demands
- The colorful language spoken by the narrator and other characters contains a lot of mid-19th century and Civil War slang, explained either through the text or in the glossary at the end of the book. The 12-year old narrator's voice is conversational and sprinkled with similes and metaphors, such as "We're falling from the sky like a bird with a broken wing" and "his voice is bad enough to crack the moon."
Knowledge Demands
- Discussing the book while reading it may help students better understand the setting and period slang, leading to an appreciation of the language and comic style. While any reader will be able to follow the basic story of Homer and the challenges he faces looking for his brother, some knowledge about the Civil War will result in a deeper understanding of events.
Levels of Meaning
- On the one hand a simply told story of a boy and his adventures, this book, as a work of historical fiction, can also be read as representing some truths about slavery, abolition, and the Civil War.
Text Complexity
Curriculum Connections (Social Studies/History)
The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg is a perfect literature companion to a middle school unit on the Civil War. There are rich topics for discussion: What truths about slavery and the Civil War does the author write about? What's the difference between nonfiction and historical fiction, and can students identify the parts of the story that are based on true events? Can they tell what the author or narrator thinks about war? Students could compare and contrast fictional characters (like the Underground Railroad "conductor" Samuel Reed) to real historical figures (Harriet Tubman). Similarly, students could create Venn-diagrams of real people appearing in the story, such as Joshua Chamberlain: what are known facts about him, what parts of his portrayal in the book were based on truth and which were totally made up? Homer is a rich subject for character analysis: He is very good at telling lies. Does that make him good or bad? Students could write persuasive essays, citing evidence from the text, to make their point about his character.
Additional teaching resources
Related Resources
The Civil War - free animated video series from BrainPOP
https://www.brainpop.com/socialstudies/freemovies/civilwar/
The Civil War - resources from the National Park Service
http://www.nps.gov/civilwar/index.htm
The Civil War - resources from the Library of Congress
http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/themes/civil-war/
The Underground Railroad interactive game from National Geographic
http://education.nationalgeographic.org/media/underground-railroad-journey-freedom/
Heroes of the Underground Railroad
http://freedomcenter.org/enabling-freedom/heroes
Standards (examples for Gr. 7)
Maine Learning Results for Social Studies: Historical Knowledge, Concepts, Themes and Patterns
E1b. Identify and analyze major historical eras, major enduring themes, turning points, events, consequences, and people in the history of Maine, the United States and various regions of the world.
English Language Arts Standards > Literacy in History/Social Studies
Identify aspects of a text that reveal an author's point of view or purpose (e.g., loaded language, inclusion or avoidance of particular facts).
English Language Arts Standards > Reading: Literature
Compare and contrast a fictional portrayal of a time, place, or character and a historical account of the same period as a means of understanding how authors of fiction use or alter history.
Final Thoughts
Through Homer, the author has humanized the deadliest war in our history and made some of the difficult themes accessible to young readers. Those who don't know anything about the Civil War will want to learn more about it after reading; this book is the hook to learning about history. Readers who already know a lot about the Civil War will enjoy the historical figures and settings in this often funny book.
