The Civil War may be over, but for twelve-year-old Will Page, the pain and bitterness haven't ended. How could they have, when the Yankees were responsible for the deaths of everyone in his entire immediate family?
And now Will has to leave his comfortable home in the Shenandoah Valley and live with relatives he has never met, people struggling to eke out a living on their farm in the war-torn Virginia Piedmont. But the worst of it is that Will's uncle Jed had refused to fight for the Confederacy.
At first, Will regards his uncle as a traitor -- or at least a coward. But as they work side by side, Will begins to respect the man. And when he sees his uncle stand up for what he believes in, Will realizes that he must rethink his definition of honor and courage.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: - Thoughtful book of ethical dilemmas
I read this book as a preview for the upcoming year of Sonlight 3+4 curriculum. While I liked the writing of Across Five Aprils more than this book, Shades of Gray is a wonderful look at how easy it is to prejudge those we do not know or understand. Note: Even though I love the idea of students writing reviews, you WILL get a skewed and incomplete portrayal when you read the "kid's review" of this book.
While some of the student reviews criticized how unlikable the main character is, his ... Read More
Rating: - Bob's Shades of Gray Review
This book is a book about a young man named Will he lived in virgina with his parents when one night his parents didnt return so he left to live with his anut and uncle. when he got there the they were there with opens arms and they hade a big dinner and the next day the work began in the morning he left with his uncle to go walk the trap line when he got back this uncle took a shower as Will help this anut make dinner after about 3 weeks of the same thing he met his cousin Cindy and she didnt know ... Read More
Rating: - Quirky Reviews Inc.
In school when we first started reading Shades of Gray I was bored from the start. It's plot is uninteresting and dull followed by events that make you feel strong dislike towards the main character. Will (the main character)is unlikable even by the most accepting of readers and will make you want to cry at him in frustration. This book takes place after the Civil War when had North won the war.Will is a boy that has no parents or relatives except his uncle and his family who didn't fight in the war ... Read More
Rating: - Shades of the Civil War
Shades of Gray by Carolyn Reder is a wonderful book of learning how to respect people. Will's family has died. His mother died of a sickness, as did his sisters. His brother and father died in war. He moves in with the closet relatives he has, his Aunt and Uncle Jed. Will doesn't respect his uncle because he wasn't in the Confederate Army, but he wasn't in the Union Army either. Will thinks of his uncle as a traitor and doesn't want anything to do with him. As time goes by, Will learns that just because ... Read More
Rating: - good book for boys or girls
Shades of Grey is an excellent book. It is about a boy whose dad and his brothers go to fight in the war and end up getting killed. Also his sisters died because of malnutrition and his mom died of depression. So Will had to go live with his aunt. But he doesn't want to because his uncle refused to fight in the war. One element that I noticed a lot was flashback. Will kept remembering how his life was so different when he lived in Winchester.
- Thoughtful book of ethical dilemmas
- Bob's Shades of Gray Review
- Quirky Reviews Inc.
- good book for boys or girls
