Numbering All The Bones by Ann Rinaldi

Reviewed by Jennifer

Ratings

Content Ratings based on a 0-5 scale where
0 = no objectionable content and
5 = an excessive or disturbing level of content

Guide to Rating System

LANGUAGE

VIOLENCE

SEXUAL CONTENT

ADULT THEMES

Ratings Explanation

Language: Some swearing

Violence: A slave girl is slapped by her master’s wife. A sick slave purposely infects the master’s wife who then dies from the illness. Union soldiers who are held in a confederate prison are kicked and hit by guards. A gun is pointed at the slave girl.

Adult Themes: The narrator is the daughter of a white master and a slave woman. She discusses being “half white and half black.” She doesn’t feel like she belongs in the house with the master’s family but doesn’t belong in the slave quarters either. A young slave boy is taken from his family and sold to another master. Description of confederate prison/death camp where union soldiers are treated like animals with no shelter, no food and generally wretched conditions. Issues of the Civil War.

Synopsis

13-year old Eulinda is a house slave in Georgia in 1864. A child of the white master and his black slave, Eulinda is unsure of where she fits in life. Only one mile from their home is the Andersonville prison where thousands of Union soldiers are held captive. At the end of the war Eulinda goes there in search of her brother who ran away to fight with the Yankees. She sees the cruelty which led to the deaths of 13,000 Union soldiers at Andersonville during the course of the war. After the war Eulinda helps Clara Barton clean up the cemetery and honor those who died. Eulinda has a lot to figure out about herself, but with the help of friends she can become who she truly is.

I think this is a very worthwhile book for children in the recommended age group. It would be a great book to read and discuss with your child.

©2009 The Literate Mother