Hearts of Stone

Kathleen Ernst

Outstanding Achievement in Children's Literature Citation,
Wisconsin Library Association

Children's Literature Award, Society of Midland Authors

Arthur Tofte/Betty Ren Wright Children’s Literature Award,
Council for Wisconsin Writers

Editors' Choice Selection, Historical Novels Review

Books for the Teen Age List,
New York Public Library

With her father gone to join the Yankee troops and her best friend, Ben, sympathizing with the Confederates, fifteen year-old Hannah finds her world torn apart by the Civil War. Then her mother suddenly dies. Now responsible for holding the young family together, Hannah makes the difficult decision to leave her beloved Cumberland Mountain with her brother and sisters and set out on the long and dangerous journey to Nashville, in search of their only living relative. Their quest to reclaim their family leads them into the very heart of the Civil War, and could cost them their lives.

To read "The Story Behind the Story," click HERE. For a Preview, click HERE. To access the Hearts of Stone Teacher Guide, click HERE.

To listen to a podcast interview about the book on Writers in the Sky! click HERE.

"Like an old-time ballad, Hearts of Stone transports readers into a lyrical, essential world brimming with life and spirit. It succeeds in that rarest of objectives – to both wrench and warm the heart. Highly recommended."

--EDITORS' CHOICE, Historical Novels Review

Ernst's memorable tale demonstrates in vivid detail how wars affect women and children.... The prose is lively, the action dramatic. Historical details never overwhelm the story, and readers will be hooked from the start.

--Kirkus Reviews

"The struggle of young people to survive in the harshest of times kept this reader turning the pages."

--VOYA

"Lessons of endurance, survival, and fierce family love linger long after the story is completed."

--Children's Literature

"A realistic, gritty novel.... Having read Ernst's outstanding story, we have an idea of how wars ruin people's lives, even the noncombatants' lives. Good supplementary reading for Civil War studies. "

--KLIATT

"Ernst movingly shows that the calamity and upheaval of war extends far beyond the battlefields. "

--Booklist

"The value of the story lies...in the description of the mixed emotions and suffering of friends and neighbors who suddenly find themselves on opposite sides of a conflict, the desperation of civilians in wartime, and the unending attempt of a teen to uphold a promise. The book would make for interesting discussions about authority, family bonds, and selflessness."

--School Library Journal

"Marvelous.... We rated this award winning author’s young adult book five hearts."

-- Heartland Reviews

"I cannot say enough about this book. ...If you like stories about the Civil War, about brave young people, written with heart, then this book is for you."

-- Bookloons Reviews

"Occasionally, you find a book so captivating that you read it in one sitting. Hearts of Stone is one of those books."

-- BookPleasures

"It's unusual to find such a touching account.... The language is almost poetic in places, with what feels like entire passages of evocative description condensed into a few sentences or, in some case, a few words, to great effect."

-- TCM Reviews

"Hearts of Stone is as memorable as it is hard to put down."

-- Front Street Reviews

"The real villain here is not one side or the other in the war, but war itself. Hannah learns, and the reader along with her, that there are good and bad people on both the Union and Confederate sides of this terrible conflict."

-- Only the Best! Middle School Fiction Reviews