Ernst, Kathleen. Hearts of stone.

ERNST, Kathleen. Hearts of stone. Penguin, Dutton. 256p. 0-525-47686-5. $16.99. JS *

Ernst has written a realistic, gritty novel about the Civil War, concentrating not on battles but on civilians who lose everything because of the war. It all starts when Hannah's father decides to join the Yankees to fight, leaving behind his struggling family to fend for themselves on their little farm in the Cumberland mountains. Life is hard enough for them, but when Hannah's mother dies, all the responsibility falls on 15-year-old Hannah. Her younger brother and little sister try to help, but they are just too young. Neighbors offer to take them in, but they would be separated, so Hannah decides they will walk to Nashville where an aunt lives, a journey of many weeks. In their little community and in the countryside they pass through, the divisions between those loyal to the Union and those who are on the Confederate side are catastrophic. Women and children are the main victims, left behind with few resources, vulnerable to marauding soldiers. Hannah does the best she can, and readers will appreciate the realistic squabbling among the siblings. When they get to Nashville, nothing is what they hoped to find. They do meet up with the family who once lived near their farm. Ben was Hannah's best friend before his family became Confederate sympathizers; now they are enemies, but in their desperation, they resolve to return to the land they left behind. Readers will feel Hannah's resolve, and also her confusion. We understand when she lashes out unfairly at her brother and sister. The deprivation and suffering are painful. 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. Claire Rosser, KLIATT

J--Recommended for junior high school students. The contents are of particular interest to young adolescents and their teachers.

S--Recommended for senior high school students.

*--The asterisk highlights exceptional books.