How I Found the Strong

( 3 )
Marketplace (New and Used)
Hardcover (None)
from
$0.95
$15.00 List Price (Save 94%)
Usually ships in 1-2 business days
All (28)  
Used (23)  
New (5)  
Close
Sort by
Page 1 of 3
Showing 1 – 10 of 28 (3 pages)
$0.95
(Save 94%)
Browse4books2
Seller since 2007

Feedback rating:

(466)

Condition:

New — never opened or used in original packaging.

Like New — packaging may have been opened. A "Like New" item is suitable to give as a gift.

Very Good — may have minor signs of wear on packaging but item works perfectly and has no damage.

Good — item is in good condition but packaging may have signs of shelf wear/aging or torn packaging. All specific defects should be noted in the Comments section associated with each item.

Acceptable — item is in working order but may show signs of wear such as scratches or torn packaging. All specific defects should be noted in the Comments section associated with each item.

Used — An item that has been opened and may show signs of wear. All specific defects should be noted in the Comments section associated with each item.

Refurbished — A used item that has been renewed or updated and verified to be in proper working condition. Not necessarily completed by the original manufacturer.

Good
x-lib /w markings, mylar dj over original dj, pgs clean & tight, last page torn out to remove bar code,

Ships from: Kokomo, IN

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$0.99
(Save 93%)
Alibris NV
Seller since 2005

Feedback rating:

(20386)

Condition: Very Good
2004-04-22 Hardcover Very good in very good dust jacket. Very Good, In very good dust jacket. Glued binding. Paper over boards. With dust jacket. 136 p.

Ships from: Sparks, NV

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$0.99
(Save 93%)
Earths Largest
Seller since 2010

Feedback rating:

(10)

Condition: Acceptable
04/22/04 Hardcover Fair Former Library Book with typical library markings, tape and stickers. Spine and cover may have considerable creases, page may contain writing but does ... not obscure the text, cover or back may have pricing sticker, writing, tears, etc. All of our books ship from Las Vegas, Nevada. Read more Show Less

Ships from: North Las Vegas, NV

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$1.50
(Save 90%)
Springys Treasures MI
Seller since 2007

Feedback rating:

(1040)

Condition: Good
2004-04-22 Hardcover Good EX LIBRARY: has library markings average wear.

Ships from: Irons, MI

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$1.99
(Save 87%)
New Chapter Recycling
Seller since 2010

Feedback rating:

(3293)

Condition: Good

Ships from: Lakewood, WA

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$1.99
(Save 87%)
Wonder Book
Seller since 2008

Feedback rating:

(13616)

Condition: Acceptable
May contain some marks or highlighting.. Acceptable dust jacket. Former Library book.

Ships from: Frederick, MD

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$1.99
(Save 87%)
Silver Arch Books
Seller since 2010

Feedback rating:

(1296)

Condition: Very Good
Book shows a small amount of wear - very good condition! Selection as wide as the Mississippi.

Ships from: St Louis, MO

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$1.99
(Save 87%)
thriftbooks-com
Seller since 2007

Feedback rating:

(5906)

Condition: Like New
Almost in new condition. Book shows only very slight signs of use. Cover and binding are undamaged and pages show minimal use. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. ... Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More. Read more Show Less

Ships from: Auburn, WA

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$1.99
(Save 87%)
GreenEarthBooks
Seller since 2009

Feedback rating:

(4878)

Condition: Very Good
Ex-Library book - will contain library markings. Appearance of only slight previous use. Cover and binding show a little wear. All pages are undamaged with potentially only a ... few, small markings. Help save a tree. Buy all your used books from Green Earth Books. Read. Recycle and Reuse! Read more Show Less

Ships from: Portland, OR

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
$1.99
(Save 87%)
Free State Books
Seller since 2012

Feedback rating:

(1010)

Condition: Good
Ex-Library book - will contain library markings. Book shows minor use. Cover and Binding have minimal wear, and the pages have only minimal creases. Free State Books. Never ... settle for less. Read more Show Less

Ships from: Halethorpe, MD

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
  • •Express, 48 States
  • •Express (AK, HI)
Page 1 of 3
Showing 1 – 10 of 28 (3 pages)
Close
Sort by
NOOK Book (eBook)
$9.75
BN.com price
$15.00 List Price (Save 35%)

Available on NOOK devices and apps

  • Nook Devices
  • NOOK
  • NOOK Color
  • NOOK Tablet
  • Tablet/Phone
  • NOOK for iPad
  • NOOK for iPhone
  • NOOK for Android
  • NOOK for Android (Tablet)
  • NOOK Kids for iPad
  • PC/Mac
  • NOOK Study
  • NOOK for PC
  • NOOK for Mac

Want a NOOK? Explore Now

Overview

It is the spring of 1861, and the serenity of Smith County, Mississippi, has been shattered by Abraham Lincoln’s declaration of war on the South. Young and old are taking up arms and marching off to war. But not ten-year-old Frank Russell. Although he is eager to enlist in the Confederate army, he is not allowed. He is too young, too skinny, too weak. After all, he’s just “Shanks,” the baby of the Russell family. War has a way of taking things away from a person, mercilessly. And this war takes from Frank a mighty sum. It’s nabbed his Pa and older brother. It’s stolen his grandfather, his grandmother. It has robbed Frank of a simpler way of life, food, his boyhood. And gone are his ...

See more details below
Note: Kids' Club Eligible. See More Details.

More About This Book

Overview

It is the spring of 1861, and the serenity of Smith County, Mississippi, has been shattered by Abraham Lincoln’s declaration of war on the South. Young and old are taking up arms and marching off to war. But not ten-year-old Frank Russell. Although he is eager to enlist in the Confederate army, he is not allowed. He is too young, too skinny, too weak. After all, he’s just “Shanks,” the baby of the Russell family. War has a way of taking things away from a person, mercilessly. And this war takes from Frank a mighty sum. It’s nabbed his Pa and older brother. It’s stolen his grandfather, his grandmother. It has robbed Frank of a simpler way of life, food, his boyhood. And gone are his idealistic dreams of heroic battles and hard-fought victories. Now all that replaces those images are questions: Will I ever see my father and brother again? Why are we fighting this war? Are we fighting for the wrong reasons? Will things ever be the same around here?

Frank Russell, known as Shanks, wishes he could have gone with his father and brother to fight for Mississippi and the Confederacy, but his experiences with the war and his changing relationship with the family slave, Buck, change his thinking.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly
"This often gripping first novel set during the Civil War adopts the perspective of a 10-year-old boy who lives on a small farm in rural Mississippi," PW said. Ages 7-up. (Apr.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
Eleven-year-old Shanks Russell watches in frustration as his father, Jack, and older brother, Henry, depart their tiny Mississippi farm for the battlefields of the Civil War, leaving him behind with his mother, grandparents, and their slave, Buck. Although certain that they march off to victory, Shanks isn't as certain about the cause for which they are fighting. As scant news of the war's progress trickles in, Shanks questions the justice of slavery and the South's justification for it. Circumstances become desperate for the Russells; Grandpa abandons them, and Grandma passes away. His mother gives birth to a baby girl, while their food supply dwindles away. Fortunately, Buck foregoes an opportunity to escape northward, which would have doomed the remaining Russells to starvation. Jack Russell returns from the war as hostility toward Negroes (now freed by the Emancipation Proclamation) escalates, and lynch mobs roam the countryside. Shanks risks his life to defend Buck from a lynch mob, inspiring his father to help Buck, too. How I Found the Strong is a stomach-churning look at life during the Civil War through the eyes of a boy journeying toward manhood. It is a compelling story about a trying time in American history. 2004, Houghton Mifflin Company, 136 pp., Ages young adult.
—Ann Opseth
More Reviews (3) Fewer Reviews
VOYA
This account of life on a rural Missisippi farm during the Civil War is based on the experience of the author's grandmother's great-uncle. The first-person, present-tense narrative reads as if it were ten-year-old Frank "Shanks" Russell's personal journal. After Pa and Shanks's fourteen-year-old brother, Henry, join the Confederate Army, Shanks, his mother, her parents, and the family slave, Buck, are left to run the farm. Opposed to the fighting, Grandpa heads West on horseback, never to return. Grandma, a bitter old woman, dies, and with the help of a deserter, Ma gives birth to a girl. As Shanks and Buck struggle to provide food, Shanks notices Buck's loyalty, intelligence, and character, and he begins to question the War and slavery. When Pa returns, missing an arm, he too has a different perspective. Henry has died of pneumonia. After witnessing the lynching of a neighbor's slave, Pa and Shanks decide to escort Buck to the Strong River from which Buck can journey North to freedom. The crisply written narrative is full of regional speech and detail, creating a vivid portrait. Shanks's story is simple and straightforward, containing not a whit of self-pity. In the devastating setting, Shanks nonetheless goes through many universal experiences: fearing that he is not good enough in his father's eyes, feeling a simultaneous attraction and awkwardness with girls, developing strong loyalties to family and friends, and questioning the status quo. In the epilogue, twenty-year-old Frank is teaching schoolchildren, preparing to marry, and still pondering the War. He mentions the Ku Klux Klan and marvels over new machines called bicycles. Another era has begun, containing promises of bothhorror and wonder. VOYA Codes 4Q 4P M J (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; Broad general YA appeal; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9). 2004, Houghton Mifflin, 144p., Ages 11 to 15.
—Florence H. Munat
School Library Journal
Gr 5-8-Ten-year-old Shanks's father and brother march off to war, leaving him behind with his grandparents, pregnant mother, and the family slave, Buck. Eventually, the war comes closer to home, and the wounded are treated in an ill-kempt school. Shanks gradually realizes that Buck is very much a human being with the same feelings, strengths, and weaknesses as other people. When it is time for Ma to give birth, a deserter who is passing through delivers the baby, and Shanks changes his mind about what cowardice is. Each passing season draws him closer to manhood and further away from the belief that slavery is right. Finally, Pa returns home, and the boy convinces him that Buck deserves freedom. They help him escape but are caught in a nightmarish battle. Shanks manages to get his wounded father to safety; because of his courage, he is finally called by his given name, Frank. Based on a family manuscript, this novel is well researched and includes many details about life in Civil War Mississippi. There are several realistic and harrowing scenes, as men undergo amputations and a young slave is brutally hung from a tree. An epilogue tells about Frank's later years. Although this coming-of-age story contains many familiar elements, the first-person narrative lends it immediacy.-Kathryn Kosiorek, Cuyahoga County Public Library, Brooklyn, OH Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
Spring of 1861 in Mississippi, with laurel and Indian pipe blooming in the woods, is "too pretty out for a war." But war comes and takes with it Frank Russell's father and older brother. Left home with women, children, and old men, Frank wishes he were his brother Henry. Growing up, observing the people around him, and losing his grandfather, his grandmother, and others, Frank must find the strength to do the right things-to walk a slave to freedom and to save his father's life. Rooted in family history, McMullan's first work for children is exquisitely written, its elegant prose fully up to portraying both the pastoral beauty of Mississippi and the horrors of war. The short, sometimes graphic story carries layers of meaning, evoking the complicated legacies of the South and the new world coming in the war's terrible wake. Match this with Richard Peck's The River Between Us (2003) for a pair of superb Civil War stories. Unforgettable. (author's note) (Fiction. 10+)

Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780618350087
  • Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
  • Publication date: 4/22/2004
  • Edition description: None
  • Pages: 144
  • Age range: 10 - 14 Years
  • Lexile: 860L (what's this?)
  • Product dimensions: 5.00 (w) x 7.00 (h) x 0.38 (d)

Meet the Author

Margaret McMullan
Margaret McMullan

Margaret McMullan is the acclaimed author of When I Crossed No-Bob and How I Found the Strong , as well as the adult novels In My Mother’s House and When Warhol Was Still Alive . Her work has appeared in such publications as Glamour, the Chicago Tribune, and Michigan Quarterly Review. She is a professor and the chair of the English department at the University of Evansville in Indiana.

Customer Reviews

Average Rating 4.5
( 3 )

Rating Distribution

5 Star

(2)

4 Star

(1)

3 Star

(0)

2 Star

(0)

1 Star

(0)

Your Rating:

Review Guidelines
Add Recommendations
Your Name: Create a Pen Name or Leave Anonymously

Barnes & Noble.com Review Rules

Our reader reviews allow you to share your comments on titles you liked, or didn't, with others. By submitting an online review, you are representing to Barnes & Noble.com that all information contained in your review is original and accurate in all respects, and that the submission of such content by you and the posting of such content by Barnes & Noble.com does not and will not violate the rights of any third party. Please follow the rules below to help ensure that your review can be posted.

Reviews by Our Customers Under the Age of 13

We highly value and respect everyone's opinion concerning the titles we offer. However, we cannot allow persons under the age of 13 to have accounts at BN.com or to post customer reviews. Please see our Terms of Use for more details.

What to exclude from your review:

Please do not write about reviews, commentary, or information posted on the product page. If you see any errors in the information on the product page, please send us an email.

Reviews should not contain any of the following:

  • - HTML tags, profanity, obscenities, vulgarities, or comments that defame anyone
  • - Time-sensitive information such as tour dates, signings, lectures, etc.
  • - Single-word reviews. Other people will read your review to discover why you liked or didn't like the title. Be descriptive.
  • - Comments focusing on the author or that may ruin the ending for others
  • - Phone numbers, addresses, URLs
  • - Pricing and availability information or alternative ordering information
  • - Advertisements or commercial solicitation

Reminder:

  • - By submitting a review, you grant to Barnes & Noble.com and its sublicensees the royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable right and license to use the review in accordance with the Barnes & Noble.com Terms of Use.
  • - Barnes & Noble.com reserves the right not to post any review -- particularly those that do not follow the terms and conditions of these Rules. Barnes & Noble.com also reserves the right to remove any review at any time without notice.
  • - See Terms of Use for other conditions and disclaimers.
Search for Products You'd Like to Recommend

Recommend other products that relate to your review. Just search for them below and share!

Create a Pen Name

Your Pen Name is your unique identiy on BN.com. It will appear on the reviews you write and other website activities. Your Pen Name cannot be edited, changed or deleted once submitted.

Your Pen Name can be any combination of alphanumeric characters (plus - and _), and must be at least two characters long.

Continue Anonymously

We're sorry, but penname is already taken.

Please select one of the following:
Your Pen Name can be any combination of alphanumeric characters (plus - and _), and must be at least two characters long.

Continue Anonymously

penname is available!

By visiting the BN.com website or marking a purchase on BN.com, a User is deemed to have accepted the Terms of Use.

Continue Anonymously

Welcome, penname

You have successfully created your Pen Name. Start enjoying the benefits of the BN.com Community today.

Sort by: Showing all of 3 Customer Reviews

  • Anonymous

    Posted March 23, 2008

    Good story: thought provoking

    I read this book months ago and find myself mulling over the story and Addy's sense of personal responsibility, rightness and her courage. Good book for a discussion group or class.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted March 13, 2008

    a reviewer

    Hi I'm a 6th grade student we read this book at are school. We all loved it so much we read it in four days.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted February 20, 2006

    Fair and okay

    This book was very interesting. We read it for school and sometimes it was so exciting I couldn't put it down! Other times I fell asleep. Though it was very good, anyway this book makes a great book to read for school.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
Sort by: Showing all of 3 Customer Reviews
If you find inappropriate content, please report it to Barnes & Noble
Why is this product inappropriate?
Comments (optional)
500 character limit