The Civil War of Amos Abernathy

Thirteen-year-old Amos Abernathy, who is white and has been out as gay since fourth grade, is a volunteer historical reenactor at the Chickaree County (Illinois) Living History Park. There he meets new volunteer Ben Oglevie, and they become friends. Along with Amos' best friend, Chloe, who is Black, the kids soon become a close trio, and when the opportunity arises to submit a proposal for a new exhibit at the park, they choose "Forgotten Voices: LGBTQ+ Stories of the Nineteenth Century." Meanwhile, Ben has sorta kinda come out to Amos, but when Ben's homophobic parents learn about this, they forbid him to see Amos. Worse, when Amos attempts to see Ben again, the boy rejects him. Flash forward to the following August. Amos and Ben are still not speaking, but Amos and Chloe are now secretly planning a way to tell the stories of all people who have been marginalized and erased from history. Will they pull it off? And will Amos and Ben reconcile? In his first novel, Leali has done an excellent job of telling an exceedingly timely story. If it occasionally comes dangerously close to being didactic, the book will nevertheless resonate with readers who will enjoy the story's intrinsic drama and empathic characters. It's a valuable addition to the still-slender body of middle-school literature with queer content.

In an earnest debut that explores representation in the past and present, a gay 13-year-old history fan in Illinois works to center LGBTQ voices while competing to design a historical exhibit. Long a junior volunteer at the living history park that his mother runs, white Amos Abernathy feels like "the nineteenth century is in my blood," though he acknowledges that "life back then wasn't easy." Amos is particularly knowledgeable about Abraham Lincoln, and when he meets Ben Oglevie, a white homeschooled boy from a religious family, he's drawn in by Ben's grasp of Lincoln facts. A crush follows, and then ongoing "complete and utter silence" from closeted Ben. Meanwhile, as the park grapples with matters of historical inclusion and erasure--resulting in Amos learning about Union soldier and trans man Albert D.J. Cashier--Amos's best friend, Chloe Thompson, works to become the park's first Black female blacksmith. Alternating between Amos's candid 2021 letters to Albert and a first-person accounting of 2022 events, Leali's slow-moving narrative proves a sometimes didactically rendered but still engaging contribution to the canon of historically focused LGBTQ novels. An author's note details the story's beginnings. Ages 8--12. Agent: Sarah Crowe, Pippin Properties. (June)

Gr 5 Up--A well-written coming-of-age novel that encompasses many valuable topics--discrimination, teen relationships, friendship, the LGBTQIA+ community, and underrepresented history into one wonderful story. Amos, who is white, volunteers as a reenactor at the Living History Park along with his best friend, Chloe, who is Black. There they meet Ben, who becomes a fast friend to the duo and a burgeoning romanntic interest for Amos. But their relationship faces some challenges, including Ben's religious family. Amos tells his story from his own point of view interspersed with letters to Albert D.J. Cashier, a Civil War soldier who, in the present day, might have identified as a trans man. Amos learns about Albert while he is researching LBGTQIA+ Americans throughout history, seeking representation of people like him from the past and hoping to win the Living History Park's exhibition competition. Readers will feel the tension as Amos and his friends fight discrimination to bring the project to fruition. Leali's character development is superb. The story begins in the present day, but readers learn of the events of the past year in Amos's commentary as well as his notes to Albert, which then converge again in the present. While this technique is insightful, the time shifts may prove slightly confusing to some readers. VERDICT Overall, an entertaining and engaging read with diverse characters and subject matter. A necesary addition to all collections seeking heartwarming tales of first crushes, and the importance of centering marginalized history.--April Crowder

A middle schooler connects with the past and his present. Amos Abernathy is a history buff. He loves working at the Living History Park in Apple Grove, Illinois, where volunteers reenact activities of daily life in the 19th century. Half the novel takes place in the latter months of 2021 (minus Covid) using the form of letters that Amos writes to Albert D.J. Cashier, a 19th-century trans man, in which he struggles through his crush on the closeted, but very cute, "Freaking Ben Oglevie." The other half takes place over the course of one day in 2022 as Amos, who is White; his Black best friend, Chloe (a straight girl training as a blacksmith who has her own satisfying side plot); and others scheme their way into making the historical attraction more diverse and welcoming. The execution of the plot, which revolves around a stalled romance and kids planning a presentation, reads less as an organically unfolding story than an opportunity to investigate queer history, White privilege, and how to fail at allyship and then redeem yourself. Amos, who consistently names the identifiers of major and cameo characters alike, often feels more like a model for good behavior than a real 12- and then 13-year-old. Educators will wish that this was nonfiction with lesson plans; middle-grade audiences may yearn for more story and fewer lessons. An educational title that may appeal to young historians. (author's note, photos, bibliography) (Fiction. 9-13) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.