Broken Ladders (2011) (edit title/settings)

Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis edit see section history

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Summary edit see section history

Characters/People edit see section history

• Joel: Add a description of this character.
• Mama
• Hannah
• Justin
• Hannah Wallace: Twelve-year-old who longs for adventure, preferably in the war effort, but anywhere off the farm would do.
• Mr. Covington
• Wes Carver
• Seth
• Mr. Lawson
• Mrs. Clark
• Tommy
• Mr. Briggs
• Mrs. Carver
• Mr. Stockdale
• Mrs. Patton
• Mcclellan
• Dr. Graves
• Jeremy
• Marcus
• Lee
• Amelia
• Mr. Thomas
• Peter
• Mrs. Jones
• Mr. Burgess
• Maryann
• Burnside
• James
• Mr. Lincoln
• Wallace
• Wayland
• Henry Stanton Wallace: Hannah's beloved Pa, who has left to join the Union army.
• Wesley Carver: Hannah's best friend and partner in crime.
• Seth Wallace: Hannah's oldest brother, 18, who has left to join the Union army.
• Elijah P. Covington: An opinionated artist whom Hannah works for and strongly dislikes.
• Justin Wallace: Hannah's youngest brother, 8, and pain in her neck.
• Joel Wallace: Hannah's steady second oldest brother, 15, who takes over management of the farm.
• Jeremy Wallace: Hannah's brother who died as an infant two years after she was born. The brother she can never live up to.
• Maddy: Hannah's older sister, 17.

Setting & Locations edit see section history

• Allegan
• Ezra
• Michigan
• Miss West
• Antietam
• Washington

First Sentence edit see section history

Table of Contents edit see section history

Themes & Symbolism edit see section history

• North vs. South: The Civil War is raging.
• Farm life: The contribution agriculture made to the Union war effort.
• Sibling rivalry: Hannah strives to find her own value as an individual.
• The struggles of early pioneers: Michigan had been a state less than 20 years and was only partially settled at the outbreak of the Civil War.
• The role of women during the Civil War era: Hannah longs for the social freedoms her brothers are granted.

Series & Lists edit see section history

Preceded by The Candle Star, and followed by Beneath the Slashings.

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

1. Michelle Isenhoff (Author)

First Edition edit see section history

Notes for Parents edit see section history

This series is suitable for about fifth grade and up (10+). I am the author, a teacher, and a mom. I wanted to create a series I could use in a classroom or read with my own kids. It contains no objectionable language or strong content.

Subjects edit see section history

• Books › Children's Books › History & Historical Fiction › United States › 1800s
• Books › Children's Books › Educational

Links to Supplemental Material edit see section history

• Michelle Isenhoff, Children's Novelist: Free printable classroom resources: Vocabulary by chapter, study/discussion questions, links to primary source materials, suggestions on how to use the book in a Social Studies class, suggestions on how to use the book to meet Grade Level Content Expectations and Common Core Standards. Click on the "For Teachers" page.
• Bookworm Blather: Author's kidlit blog.
• Goodreads: Reviews.
• Amazon: Paperback edition
• Amazon: Kindle edition

More Books Like This edit see section history