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The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg
A dramatic, witty Civil War tale from bestselling author Rodman Philbrick
Master storyteller Rodman Philbrick takes readers on a colorful journey as young Homer Figg sets off to follow his brother into the thick of the Civil War. Through a series of fascinating events, Homer's older brother has been illegally sold to the Union Army. It is up to Homer to find him and save him. Along the way, he encounters strange but real people of that era: two tricksters who steal his money, a snake-oil salesman, a hot-air balloonist, and finally, the Maine regiment who saved Little Round Top at the Battle of Gettysburg and won the war for the Union. (copy continues)
Master storyteller Rodman Philbrick takes readers on a colorful journey as young Homer Figg sets off to follow his brother into the thick of the Civil War. Through a series of fascinating events, Homer's older brother has been illegally sold to the Union Army. It is up to Homer to find him and save him. Along the way, he encounters strange but real people of that era: two tricksters who steal his money, a snake-oil salesman, a hot-air balloonist, and finally, the Maine regiment who saved Little Round Top at the Battle of Gettysburg and won the war for the Union. (copy continues)
224 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2009
About the author
Rodman Philbrick
61 books355 followersAka William R Dantz, Chris Jordan, W.R. Philbrick.
Rodman Philbrick grew up on the New England coast, where he worked as a longshoreman and boat builder. For many years he wrote mysteries and detective novels. The Private Eye Writers of America nominated two of his T.D.Stash series as best detective novel and then selected Philbrick's 'Brothers & Sinners' as Best Novel in 1993. Writing under the pen name 'William R. Dantz' he has explored the near-future worlds of genetic engineering and hi-tech brain control in books like 'Hunger', 'Pulse', 'The Seventh Sleeper'. And 'Nine Levels Down'.
Inspired by the life of a boy who lived a few blocks away, he wrote 'Freak The Mighty', the award-winning young-adult novel, which has been translated into numerous languages and is now read in schools throughout the world. The book was adapted to the screen in 1998 as 'The Mighty', starring Sharon Stone, Gillian Anderson, James Gandolfini, Kieran Culkin, and Elden Henson.
Philbrick, a screenwriter as well as a novelist, is the author of a number of novels for young readers, including 'The Fire Pony', 'Max the Mighty', 'REM World', 'The Last Book In The Universe', 'The Journal of Douglas Allen Deeds' and 'The Young Man And The Sea'. His recent novels for adults include 'Dark Matter', 'Coffins', and 'Taken'. He and his wife divide their time between Maine and the Florida Keys.
Rodman Philbrick grew up on the New England coast, where he worked as a longshoreman and boat builder. For many years he wrote mysteries and detective novels. The Private Eye Writers of America nominated two of his T.D.Stash series as best detective novel and then selected Philbrick's 'Brothers & Sinners' as Best Novel in 1993. Writing under the pen name 'William R. Dantz' he has explored the near-future worlds of genetic engineering and hi-tech brain control in books like 'Hunger', 'Pulse', 'The Seventh Sleeper'. And 'Nine Levels Down'.
Inspired by the life of a boy who lived a few blocks away, he wrote 'Freak The Mighty', the award-winning young-adult novel, which has been translated into numerous languages and is now read in schools throughout the world. The book was adapted to the screen in 1998 as 'The Mighty', starring Sharon Stone, Gillian Anderson, James Gandolfini, Kieran Culkin, and Elden Henson.
Philbrick, a screenwriter as well as a novelist, is the author of a number of novels for young readers, including 'The Fire Pony', 'Max the Mighty', 'REM World', 'The Last Book In The Universe', 'The Journal of Douglas Allen Deeds' and 'The Young Man And The Sea'. His recent novels for adults include 'Dark Matter', 'Coffins', and 'Taken'. He and his wife divide their time between Maine and the Florida Keys.
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March 18, 2009
Ah, the inveterate child liar. The chronic juvenile dissembler. Is there any more classic character you can name? Whether it's The Artful Dodger, Huck Finn, Tom Sawyer, The Great Brain or Soup from the Soup books, there is always room in the canon for just one more boy fibber (girl fibbers are not yet appearing the same numbers, I'm afraid). Now the best tellers of untrue tales often come from Southern soil. They are born below the Mason-Dixon line and are capable of great feats of derring-do, all the while escaping their own much complicated shenanigans. Credit Rodman Philbrick then with coming up with a fellow that's so far North that to go any farther he'd have to be Canadian. It's Homer P. Figg it is. Orphan. Storyteller. And the kid that's single-handedly going to win the Civil War, whether he intends to or not.
When you're stuck living with a scoundrel there's nothing for it but to make the best of things. And for years Homer P. Figg and his older brother Harold have made the best of living with their nasty ward and uncle Squinton Leach. A man so dastardly that he finds a way to sell Harold into serving as a soldier for the Union. The year is 1863 and when Harold ends up accidentally conscripted Homer is having none of it. Why his brother shouldn't legally be serving at all! Without further ado Homer takes his propensity for stretching the truth and Bob the horse so as to catch up with the army and get his bro back. Things, however, do not go smoothly. Before he finds Harold again Homer must endure blackguards, nitwits, shysters, pigs, a traveling circus, and an unexpected tour of the stratosphere. It all comes together at a little place called Gettysburg, though, where Homer must face the facts of his situation and do his best to keep the people important to him alive. Backmatter includes "Some Additional Civil War Facts, Opinions, Slang & Definitions, To Be Argued, Debated & Cogitated Upon."
I'm a sucker for a children's book that knows how to coddle a tongue-happy phrase. Why just last year I was charmed by Sid Fleischman's The Trouble Begins at 8: A Life of Mark Twain in the Wild Wild West with it's delightful play on Twain's flexible language. Now I've not read Philbrick before. Maybe if I picked up something like his Freak The Mighty or that The Last Book In The Universe of his I'd find a similar bit of wordplay. Whatever the matter, I found myself much taken with the syllables that get bandied about in Homer P. Figg. First there are the names. Villains get to luxuriate in monikers like Squinton Leach, Stink Mullins, and Kate and Frank Nibbly. Then there are the descriptive sentences. Leach's villainy is pitch perfect, particularly since it is first introduced as "A man so mean he squeezed the good out of the Holy Bible and beat us with it, and swore that God Himself had inflicted me and Harold on him, like he was Job and we was Boils and Pestilence." Another nasty character is described as one for whom "Every part of him smells of rot." Actually, now that I look through my notes I see that a lot of the sentences I've highlighted as being fun descriptive passages have to do with odor. Like this later passage which reads, "The pungent perfume of the pig is still upon you. The suffocating scent of the swine exudes from your person. In a word, sir, you stink." Catchy.
In the midst of all this wordsmithing it's probably a temptation to let the language carry the plot and characters with little to no regard for the emotional content. But I like that Philbrick has couched this tale as an emotional quest of sorts. I mean, if you name your hero Homer then obviously there's some kind of Iliad/Odysseus thing going on there. Particularly if you push said hero into a quixotic series of scrapes. I kept sort of expecting our own Homer to go blind at one point, but if Mr. Philbrick ever felt the urge to remove his Homer's sight he did a noble job of repressing that inclination. Instead he builds on Homer and Harold's relationship. One example comes when Homer thinks about a time when he climbed onto a barn roof when he was younger. "It was a mean thing, wanting to scare my big brother who had always been so kind to me. But if felt good, too, like I enjoyed testing how much he loved me." So a book that could simply have been a series of unrelated incidents is held together by good old-fashioned brotherly love.
I mentioned at the beginning of this review what a novelty it is to find a casual liar like Homer coming out of the North rather than the South. And when Homer mentions on the very first page that he and his brother won the Battle of Gettysburg, then that he was from Maine on the second, I should have realized the connection. After all, I saw Gettysburg the film when it was in theaters. But it takes an author like Philbrick to put the pieces together for a reader like myself. Pieces he has a clear view of and isn't about to mess up. He doesn't romanticize war any either. At one point Homer makes a mad ride across a field of battle and what follows is an emotionless list of the horrors he witnesses along the way. Things like "Thirsty men sucking sweat from their woolen sleeves" and "A dead man on his knees with his hands folded, as if to pray." Mamas don't let your children grow up to be Civil War soldiers.
I was also interested to see that Homer mentions historical details that kids don't always get a chance to see in school. Facts like, "when President Lincoln declared that slaves in the Confederacy were free, he didn't dare free the slaves in he Union states like Maryland, Delaware, or Kentucky, in fear the border states might join the rebels." Children's literature has a tendency to sort of bypass that kind of information, but I think it makes a historical novel like this one all the richer for its complexity. And of course all historical novels for children grapple with a question that is never easy; How do you deal with terms that are historically accurate and odious to contemporary ears? I refer, of course, to "the n-word". Now, to be perfectly honest, there are at least two villains in this book that should be tossing that word back and forth like it's nobody's business. Yet they don't. They don't and I admit that this didn't ring untrue to me while reading the book. It was only later that I stopped myself and went back to see how Philbrick dealt with that conundrum. The answer is that the bad guys say either "slave" or "darky". And there might be some problems with the "d-word" as well, were it not for a good Quaker man who corrects Homer on this point later on. "If a man has dark skin, say that he is colored, or that he is African." I'm sure that some historians amongst us might have something to say about those terms as well, but as far as I can tell Philbrick covers his bases and doesn't have to cheat. Later Homer also refers to two workers as "Indians" though he acknowledges, "These Indians are from China - similar eyes, but a different tribe." Contextualizing ignorance in terms that modern kids can understand. A tough job.
No matter how tough the subject matter or the work, Homer P. Figg is a strong and snappy little novel. Funny and with a plot that keeps moving at a lightning quick pace. Very few readers will find themselves bored by what Philbrick produces here, and many will be caught learning a little something in the process. One of the best of its kind.
When you're stuck living with a scoundrel there's nothing for it but to make the best of things. And for years Homer P. Figg and his older brother Harold have made the best of living with their nasty ward and uncle Squinton Leach. A man so dastardly that he finds a way to sell Harold into serving as a soldier for the Union. The year is 1863 and when Harold ends up accidentally conscripted Homer is having none of it. Why his brother shouldn't legally be serving at all! Without further ado Homer takes his propensity for stretching the truth and Bob the horse so as to catch up with the army and get his bro back. Things, however, do not go smoothly. Before he finds Harold again Homer must endure blackguards, nitwits, shysters, pigs, a traveling circus, and an unexpected tour of the stratosphere. It all comes together at a little place called Gettysburg, though, where Homer must face the facts of his situation and do his best to keep the people important to him alive. Backmatter includes "Some Additional Civil War Facts, Opinions, Slang & Definitions, To Be Argued, Debated & Cogitated Upon."
I'm a sucker for a children's book that knows how to coddle a tongue-happy phrase. Why just last year I was charmed by Sid Fleischman's The Trouble Begins at 8: A Life of Mark Twain in the Wild Wild West with it's delightful play on Twain's flexible language. Now I've not read Philbrick before. Maybe if I picked up something like his Freak The Mighty or that The Last Book In The Universe of his I'd find a similar bit of wordplay. Whatever the matter, I found myself much taken with the syllables that get bandied about in Homer P. Figg. First there are the names. Villains get to luxuriate in monikers like Squinton Leach, Stink Mullins, and Kate and Frank Nibbly. Then there are the descriptive sentences. Leach's villainy is pitch perfect, particularly since it is first introduced as "A man so mean he squeezed the good out of the Holy Bible and beat us with it, and swore that God Himself had inflicted me and Harold on him, like he was Job and we was Boils and Pestilence." Another nasty character is described as one for whom "Every part of him smells of rot." Actually, now that I look through my notes I see that a lot of the sentences I've highlighted as being fun descriptive passages have to do with odor. Like this later passage which reads, "The pungent perfume of the pig is still upon you. The suffocating scent of the swine exudes from your person. In a word, sir, you stink." Catchy.
In the midst of all this wordsmithing it's probably a temptation to let the language carry the plot and characters with little to no regard for the emotional content. But I like that Philbrick has couched this tale as an emotional quest of sorts. I mean, if you name your hero Homer then obviously there's some kind of Iliad/Odysseus thing going on there. Particularly if you push said hero into a quixotic series of scrapes. I kept sort of expecting our own Homer to go blind at one point, but if Mr. Philbrick ever felt the urge to remove his Homer's sight he did a noble job of repressing that inclination. Instead he builds on Homer and Harold's relationship. One example comes when Homer thinks about a time when he climbed onto a barn roof when he was younger. "It was a mean thing, wanting to scare my big brother who had always been so kind to me. But if felt good, too, like I enjoyed testing how much he loved me." So a book that could simply have been a series of unrelated incidents is held together by good old-fashioned brotherly love.
I mentioned at the beginning of this review what a novelty it is to find a casual liar like Homer coming out of the North rather than the South. And when Homer mentions on the very first page that he and his brother won the Battle of Gettysburg, then that he was from Maine on the second, I should have realized the connection. After all, I saw Gettysburg the film when it was in theaters. But it takes an author like Philbrick to put the pieces together for a reader like myself. Pieces he has a clear view of and isn't about to mess up. He doesn't romanticize war any either. At one point Homer makes a mad ride across a field of battle and what follows is an emotionless list of the horrors he witnesses along the way. Things like "Thirsty men sucking sweat from their woolen sleeves" and "A dead man on his knees with his hands folded, as if to pray." Mamas don't let your children grow up to be Civil War soldiers.
I was also interested to see that Homer mentions historical details that kids don't always get a chance to see in school. Facts like, "when President Lincoln declared that slaves in the Confederacy were free, he didn't dare free the slaves in he Union states like Maryland, Delaware, or Kentucky, in fear the border states might join the rebels." Children's literature has a tendency to sort of bypass that kind of information, but I think it makes a historical novel like this one all the richer for its complexity. And of course all historical novels for children grapple with a question that is never easy; How do you deal with terms that are historically accurate and odious to contemporary ears? I refer, of course, to "the n-word". Now, to be perfectly honest, there are at least two villains in this book that should be tossing that word back and forth like it's nobody's business. Yet they don't. They don't and I admit that this didn't ring untrue to me while reading the book. It was only later that I stopped myself and went back to see how Philbrick dealt with that conundrum. The answer is that the bad guys say either "slave" or "darky". And there might be some problems with the "d-word" as well, were it not for a good Quaker man who corrects Homer on this point later on. "If a man has dark skin, say that he is colored, or that he is African." I'm sure that some historians amongst us might have something to say about those terms as well, but as far as I can tell Philbrick covers his bases and doesn't have to cheat. Later Homer also refers to two workers as "Indians" though he acknowledges, "These Indians are from China - similar eyes, but a different tribe." Contextualizing ignorance in terms that modern kids can understand. A tough job.
No matter how tough the subject matter or the work, Homer P. Figg is a strong and snappy little novel. Funny and with a plot that keeps moving at a lightning quick pace. Very few readers will find themselves bored by what Philbrick produces here, and many will be caught learning a little something in the process. One of the best of its kind.
October 2, 2009
One of my favorite parts of each day is when I tuck my kids in bed and read to them. I make the rounds from one bed to the next, with the help of my husband, making sure each child gets a chance to read from his or her own special book. If I take too long getting to my eight year old, Hunter’s, room, I’ll hear his voice, quiet but insistent, asking, “Mom, are you going to read to me?” It is a special time, and I want to make sure it is enjoyable for my kids, so I am careful about which books I choose to read to them.
For the last two years, Hunter and I have been reading fantasy novels together. Some have been really fun: the Chronicles of Prydain Series by Lloyd Alexander, The Ranger’s Apprentice by John Flanagan, and of course, Harry Potter. Others . . . not so much. At least in my opinion. But Hunter seemed to enjoy them all.
Still, I was dying to share something with him that didn’t involve strange, savage beasts, epic quests, magic spells, and swordplay. In other words, something that wasn’t fantasy.
I asked our school librarian for some book suggestions and she showed me The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg. It was absolutely perfect. Or in Hunter’s words, “the most amazing book ever.”
I think there are some important elements in True Adventures that endeared it so much to my fantasy lover. First of all, the evil nemesis. Every fantasy book I’ve ever read has a dark, malignant antagonist whose existence is a threat to life and happiness. In True Adventures that antagonist is Squinton Leach. And while he is no sorceror or evil king, the crimes he commits make him just as dangerous. He is the protagonist, Homer Figg’s, uncle, and his negligence and abuse of his two nephews make him every bit as vile as the big Voldemort. Leach initiates the book’s action by selling his underage nephew, Homer’s brother Harold, into the service of the Union Army under the Conscription Law of 1863.
And this is where the next important element begins: the Quest. Homer escapes from Leach and embarks on an epic-like quest to find his brother, rescue him from the war, and bring him home, wherever that might be — anywhere where Leach is not. That quest takes Homer on a journey from Maine southward toward the fighting, where he ultimately witnesses the Battle of Gettysburg. On the way he aides in the underground railroad, joins a traveling medicine show, is taken as a prisoner of war, sees hand to hand combat, rides a steamship, a train, and a hot air balloon, and encounters allies and enemies alike.
Throughout it all, Homer maintains that his allegiance lies with himself and his brother. However, and this is where True Adventures departs from the plot of a more traditional fantasy quest, when he finally tracks Harold down, his brother is somewhat of a fallen hero. Not only that, he doesn’t want to be rescued. The black and white, good versus evil construct breaks down and we find ourselves grappling with issues more common to realistic fiction: discovering and learning how to cope with the good and the evil that lie within all of us.
There is a wonderful element of humor in the book. Homer has an engaging and entertaining voice, and the lies he tells to manuever his way through his adventures had Hunter and I chuckling. But there are also very sober and somewhat graphic scenes, summed up in this poignant dream of Homer’s:
”In my dream Harold will be happy and strong and find him a wife to darn his socks of an evening and give him children that are never hungry and never get beat or locked in the barn like animals, and never have to run away to war to save their big brothers and see arms and legs being stacked like cordwood, or men dying of their wounds, or hear the keening of boys who miss their mothers and beg to see her in Heaven.”
The treatment of the Civil War battles did not come until the end of the book. They were brief, but they were somewhat gruesome. However, I felt that sharing those scenes with Hunter was very valuable. First of all, because of the historical accuracy Philbrick treats the subject with. Second of all, and even more importantly in my opinion, Philbrick shows the human aspect of war and fighting in a profound way that recognizes fear, loss, and pain.
Of course, from the first page there is no question that our resilient protagonist will come out on top, and it was immensely satisfying to reach the book’s conclusion and see just how buoyant, brave, and yes, true, our falsifying friend could really be.
For the last two years, Hunter and I have been reading fantasy novels together. Some have been really fun: the Chronicles of Prydain Series by Lloyd Alexander, The Ranger’s Apprentice by John Flanagan, and of course, Harry Potter. Others . . . not so much. At least in my opinion. But Hunter seemed to enjoy them all.
Still, I was dying to share something with him that didn’t involve strange, savage beasts, epic quests, magic spells, and swordplay. In other words, something that wasn’t fantasy.
I asked our school librarian for some book suggestions and she showed me The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg. It was absolutely perfect. Or in Hunter’s words, “the most amazing book ever.”
I think there are some important elements in True Adventures that endeared it so much to my fantasy lover. First of all, the evil nemesis. Every fantasy book I’ve ever read has a dark, malignant antagonist whose existence is a threat to life and happiness. In True Adventures that antagonist is Squinton Leach. And while he is no sorceror or evil king, the crimes he commits make him just as dangerous. He is the protagonist, Homer Figg’s, uncle, and his negligence and abuse of his two nephews make him every bit as vile as the big Voldemort. Leach initiates the book’s action by selling his underage nephew, Homer’s brother Harold, into the service of the Union Army under the Conscription Law of 1863.
And this is where the next important element begins: the Quest. Homer escapes from Leach and embarks on an epic-like quest to find his brother, rescue him from the war, and bring him home, wherever that might be — anywhere where Leach is not. That quest takes Homer on a journey from Maine southward toward the fighting, where he ultimately witnesses the Battle of Gettysburg. On the way he aides in the underground railroad, joins a traveling medicine show, is taken as a prisoner of war, sees hand to hand combat, rides a steamship, a train, and a hot air balloon, and encounters allies and enemies alike.
Throughout it all, Homer maintains that his allegiance lies with himself and his brother. However, and this is where True Adventures departs from the plot of a more traditional fantasy quest, when he finally tracks Harold down, his brother is somewhat of a fallen hero. Not only that, he doesn’t want to be rescued. The black and white, good versus evil construct breaks down and we find ourselves grappling with issues more common to realistic fiction: discovering and learning how to cope with the good and the evil that lie within all of us.
There is a wonderful element of humor in the book. Homer has an engaging and entertaining voice, and the lies he tells to manuever his way through his adventures had Hunter and I chuckling. But there are also very sober and somewhat graphic scenes, summed up in this poignant dream of Homer’s:
”In my dream Harold will be happy and strong and find him a wife to darn his socks of an evening and give him children that are never hungry and never get beat or locked in the barn like animals, and never have to run away to war to save their big brothers and see arms and legs being stacked like cordwood, or men dying of their wounds, or hear the keening of boys who miss their mothers and beg to see her in Heaven.”
The treatment of the Civil War battles did not come until the end of the book. They were brief, but they were somewhat gruesome. However, I felt that sharing those scenes with Hunter was very valuable. First of all, because of the historical accuracy Philbrick treats the subject with. Second of all, and even more importantly in my opinion, Philbrick shows the human aspect of war and fighting in a profound way that recognizes fear, loss, and pain.
Of course, from the first page there is no question that our resilient protagonist will come out on top, and it was immensely satisfying to reach the book’s conclusion and see just how buoyant, brave, and yes, true, our falsifying friend could really be.
January 14, 2009
This came in the mail yesterday and since Freak the Mighty is one of my all-time favorite books, I can't wait to read this!
Okay -- just finished it last night. What a rollicking Civil War tall tale! There is no way all these things could happen to one person but they could certainly happen to Homer P. Figg. Loved the way Philbrick plunked us right in the time period -- no explanations here! And the voice! I'm insanely jealous. And I loved the Civil War slang glossary at the back. The author wisely chose not to confuse us by using those terms in the text but he won my heart for creating this glossary.
This is the perfect book for the reader who thinks he/she doesn't like historical fiction.
Okay -- just finished it last night. What a rollicking Civil War tall tale! There is no way all these things could happen to one person but they could certainly happen to Homer P. Figg. Loved the way Philbrick plunked us right in the time period -- no explanations here! And the voice! I'm insanely jealous. And I loved the Civil War slang glossary at the back. The author wisely chose not to confuse us by using those terms in the text but he won my heart for creating this glossary.
This is the perfect book for the reader who thinks he/she doesn't like historical fiction.
March 20, 2020
This book kind of reminded me of the Whipping Boy, and how the main character keeps falling in with the wrong crowd in his attempt to rescue his brother. On that count, and due to the people he falls in with in this book, I'd say this is for a slightly older crowd perhaps, though it's still not exactly "mature" content.
When Homer's uncle sells his older brother into soldiering for the Union Army, Homer decides to try escaping his uncle's farm in order to save him. But one thing after another goes wrong. The first night out, his horse is heard and two thieving scoundrels (who you later find out sell free Black men into slavery), kidnap him and force him to a task he doesn't want to do. After escaping from them, his guardian falls for a matrimonial scam ... and so goes this mostly true tale, until Homer and his brother are united and all ends well.
It's definitely action packed and told somewhat light-heartedly. And with the given title, you know the story is supposed to sound just a little far-fetched.
Ages: 12+
Cleanliness: Blacks are called "darkies" and the boy is reprimanded for using that term. The book talks about slavery - the details are not too mature. There is drinking and smoking. There are liars, thieves and scoundrels in this story - none of them are shown in a positive light, except maybe Homer who is a good liar and tells lies to escape. There is a woman covered in tattoos.
**Like my reviews? Then you should follow me! Because I have hundreds more just like this one. With each review, I provide a Cleanliness Report, mentioning any objectionable content I come across so that parents and/or conscientious readers (like me) can determine beforehand whether they want to read a book or not. Content surprises are super annoying, especially when you’re 100+ pages in, so here’s my attempt to help you avoid that!
So Follow or Friend me here on GoodReads! You’ll see my updates as I’m reading and know which books I’m liking and what I’m not finishing and why. You’ll also be able to utilize my library for looking up titles to see whether the book you’re thinking about reading next has any objectionable content or not. From swear words, to romance, to bad attitudes (in children’s books), I cover it all!
When Homer's uncle sells his older brother into soldiering for the Union Army, Homer decides to try escaping his uncle's farm in order to save him. But one thing after another goes wrong. The first night out, his horse is heard and two thieving scoundrels (who you later find out sell free Black men into slavery), kidnap him and force him to a task he doesn't want to do. After escaping from them, his guardian falls for a matrimonial scam ... and so goes this mostly true tale, until Homer and his brother are united and all ends well.
It's definitely action packed and told somewhat light-heartedly. And with the given title, you know the story is supposed to sound just a little far-fetched.
Ages: 12+
Cleanliness: Blacks are called "darkies" and the boy is reprimanded for using that term. The book talks about slavery - the details are not too mature. There is drinking and smoking. There are liars, thieves and scoundrels in this story - none of them are shown in a positive light, except maybe Homer who is a good liar and tells lies to escape. There is a woman covered in tattoos.
**Like my reviews? Then you should follow me! Because I have hundreds more just like this one. With each review, I provide a Cleanliness Report, mentioning any objectionable content I come across so that parents and/or conscientious readers (like me) can determine beforehand whether they want to read a book or not. Content surprises are super annoying, especially when you’re 100+ pages in, so here’s my attempt to help you avoid that!
So Follow or Friend me here on GoodReads! You’ll see my updates as I’m reading and know which books I’m liking and what I’m not finishing and why. You’ll also be able to utilize my library for looking up titles to see whether the book you’re thinking about reading next has any objectionable content or not. From swear words, to romance, to bad attitudes (in children’s books), I cover it all!
June 15, 2018
About as light and humorous as a book about the Civil War and the Battle of Gettysburg can be. This book has echoes of Huck Finn and Jack Gantos. Very well done, and I enjoyed it, but it's not really my cup of tea.
February 10, 2009
12-year-old Homer and his older brother Harold have been living with (or rather slaving for) their mean and nasty Uncle Squinton Leach (and a finer name for a villain I have rarely come across) ever since their beloved mother died. Harold has always looked after Homer, so when Uncle Squint illegally sells him into the Union Army, Homer is determined to find him and bring him back.
After Homer runs away, he has three main adventures. During the first, he has a run-in with two nefarious characters who have kidnapped a free black man and plan to sell him into slavery down south. This leads him to a stern but kindly Quaker who (after the previous situation has been satisfactorily resolved) sends him to New York to find his brother, along with a wispy reverend named Mr. Willow and some funds. During the second adventure, Mr. Willow is bilked of the money by a pair of confidence tricksters, meaning that Homer must set off alone. He quickly falls in with a huckster named Professor Fleabottom who sells “Neurotonic Nerve Elixir” (otherwise known as sweetened rum) to Union soldiers. During this last adventure, Homer finds his brother – but he is also briefly plunged into the horrors of war.
The breezy tone and the historical subject matter reminded me of some of Sid Fleischman’s books, particularly his McBroom tall tales and his California-based historical adventures such as Bandit Moon. Homer P. Figg would have felt at home in Mark Twain’s Tom Sawyer or The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, as well, with his gift of gab and penchant for getting into trouble.
Although Homer tends to tell extravagant fibs at the drop of a hat, he waxes humble and heart-felt when he talks about his older brother, and so the reader really does expect to find a larger-than-life character in Harold. What a disappointment, then, that Harold is just an ordinary fellow who is not only an unsuccessful soldier but whose primary emotion on getting sold to the army was relief to escape from his responsibilities as an older brother. He’s not a bad guy, just a human one. And since the whole reason for all Homer’s adventures was to find Harold, it was odd that the book ends shortly thereafter, with little comment on Homer’s part about how their relationship has obviously changed – Homer has shown himself to be the intrepid brother, the one with initiative and drive. However, most readers will probably just be glad that the brothers end up safe, sound, and whole (well, almost whole).
Fast-paced and full of colorful language and eccentric characters, this is a good choice for kids in grade 4 and up.
March 21, 2012
Homer Figg is an engaging 11 year old boy from Pine Swamp, Maine in the 1860′s. He and his older brother Harold, having been orphaned, have been sent to live with their uncle, Mr. Squinton Leach. Squint is not happy at this turn of events. He makes the boys sleep in the barn, feeds them very little and requires them to do a great deal of the work on his farm.
The story begins when Squint catches Homer eating part of the slops he is to feed to the hogs. A confrontation ensues in which Harold, for the first time, knocks his uncle to the ground. Furious, Squint connives to sell his eldest nephew into the Union Army as a “replacement” for $200. Since Harold is only 17 and the conscription law has not yet passed, Squint’s bargain is illegal. After Harold is led away to the Army at gunpoint and Homer is locked in the root cellar, Homer overhears Squint celebrating his trickery and his share of the $200.
Furious, Homer vows to find his brother before he gets to the War in order to save Harold from being killed by the Confederate Army. What follows is Homer’s desperate journey to find his brother, the only family he has left in the world.
He encounters slave catchers, abolitionists, a conductor for the Underground Railroad, a foolish minister, a pair of charlatans who kidnap and imprison Homer in order to rob his companion, a tattooed lady, the owner of a traveling medicine show, Confederate spies and a descendant of Davy Crockett. He becomes The Amazing Pig Boy, is thrown into a Confederate prison as a Union spy and, in the climax of the story, he is drawn into the decisive Civil War battle of Gettysburg. Along his travels Homer learns what it means to be self-reliant, changes his opinion of slavery and discovers the true horrors of war.
In spots the language is rough, that is, appropriate to the 1860′s. Homer’s sometimes inappropriate language in reference to slaves is countered, however, in the language of Jebidiah Brewster, a Quaker abolitionist involved with the Undergraound Railroad who helps Homer to realize slaves are people, not things. There are also some frank descriptions (although not graphic) of the surgeons’ actions treating the wounded in the war–specifically amputations. For these reasons I would not use this book as a read-aloud selection in a classroom. In general, I would not recommend it for younger than 4th grade. It it, however, a great example of adventure, historical fiction and personal growth for older elementary and middle schoolers.
The story begins when Squint catches Homer eating part of the slops he is to feed to the hogs. A confrontation ensues in which Harold, for the first time, knocks his uncle to the ground. Furious, Squint connives to sell his eldest nephew into the Union Army as a “replacement” for $200. Since Harold is only 17 and the conscription law has not yet passed, Squint’s bargain is illegal. After Harold is led away to the Army at gunpoint and Homer is locked in the root cellar, Homer overhears Squint celebrating his trickery and his share of the $200.
Furious, Homer vows to find his brother before he gets to the War in order to save Harold from being killed by the Confederate Army. What follows is Homer’s desperate journey to find his brother, the only family he has left in the world.
He encounters slave catchers, abolitionists, a conductor for the Underground Railroad, a foolish minister, a pair of charlatans who kidnap and imprison Homer in order to rob his companion, a tattooed lady, the owner of a traveling medicine show, Confederate spies and a descendant of Davy Crockett. He becomes The Amazing Pig Boy, is thrown into a Confederate prison as a Union spy and, in the climax of the story, he is drawn into the decisive Civil War battle of Gettysburg. Along his travels Homer learns what it means to be self-reliant, changes his opinion of slavery and discovers the true horrors of war.
In spots the language is rough, that is, appropriate to the 1860′s. Homer’s sometimes inappropriate language in reference to slaves is countered, however, in the language of Jebidiah Brewster, a Quaker abolitionist involved with the Undergraound Railroad who helps Homer to realize slaves are people, not things. There are also some frank descriptions (although not graphic) of the surgeons’ actions treating the wounded in the war–specifically amputations. For these reasons I would not use this book as a read-aloud selection in a classroom. In general, I would not recommend it for younger than 4th grade. It it, however, a great example of adventure, historical fiction and personal growth for older elementary and middle schoolers.
May 18, 2012
A Newbery Honor book, this Civil War tale about a young boy who searches for his brother after their guardian (illegally) sells him into the army starts off with a bang. Told from Homer’s perspective, the folksy voice works well here (this is the third book I’ve read this year that uses a folksy, down-home voice, and this is the first one that I liked from the start). There’s a lot that’s good about this book, but, after a while, it became more quick vignettes instead of a cohesive narrative. Even for a children’s book, I found the pace too quick, and, rather than lose myself in the story, I felt like I was being pulled from scene-to-scene-to-scene by a caffeinated jackrabbit. By the end, the book is less of a story and more of a checklist to introduce children to the major historical elements of the Civil War. Since Child Me absolutely abhorred being tricked into history lessons disguised as fun novels (even though Child Me was also a nerd who loved history and learning), I finished the book much less enchanted than when I started it. I can see the book appealing to a wide swarth of children given how it starts, but some of them may finish Homer’s story annoyed that some silly adult tricked them into reading the literary equivalent of chocolate-covered raisins (which sound like a good idea but are really a disgusting “nutritious snack”). Quasi-recommended.
June 2, 2016
Homer P. Figg is a fun and interesting
February 16, 2022
I think the author started out with an absurd kind of humor but it got very serious in the last chapters on the Gettysburg battle field. I would not give this book to a middle grader - I think it is more appropriate for a teenager because of the battle scenes. I found it easy to read - it did keep my interest. [This is not a spoiler because the information about Gettysburg is mentioned on the cover of the book.]
I read it because I'm on a quest to read all the Newbery list books. This is a Newbery Honor Book from 2010. It was a lot better than some of the other Newbery books I've read recently, however I think it would be appreciated more by a teenage boy... maybe one who would like to know what happens when a teenager is sold into the Union army and forced to fight even though underage.
The main character, Homer, is looking for his older brother, Howard. Their unfriendly uncle (by marriage) had custody of them and decided to sell Howard because he was angry. This made Homer run away to try to save his brother from becoming a Civil War casualty.
The book came to me at a time when I've been researching my family tree. I've found several ancestors who died during the Civil War, so maybe the battle scenes affected me more than others. It is strange - I never knew these ancestors but I grieve for them anyhow. One had an older brother killed in the Battle of Walker Creek which was the second battle of the war, in Missouri. He was a Confederate. Another on the other side of my family was in the Union army, killed in Virginia in the Battle of the Wilderness. I have found books detailing the history of each of these battles, and have considered reading them... but just this book (Homer P. Figg) is scary enough! And it is fiction with a dose of humorous situations and a boy who is an excellent and impressive liar.
Okay, enough said. It was an interesting story, and even included a Quaker, escaped slaves, and more you might expect to find in the world during the Civil War years. Very interesting indeed.
I read it because I'm on a quest to read all the Newbery list books. This is a Newbery Honor Book from 2010. It was a lot better than some of the other Newbery books I've read recently, however I think it would be appreciated more by a teenage boy... maybe one who would like to know what happens when a teenager is sold into the Union army and forced to fight even though underage.
The main character, Homer, is looking for his older brother, Howard. Their unfriendly uncle (by marriage) had custody of them and decided to sell Howard because he was angry. This made Homer run away to try to save his brother from becoming a Civil War casualty.
The book came to me at a time when I've been researching my family tree. I've found several ancestors who died during the Civil War, so maybe the battle scenes affected me more than others. It is strange - I never knew these ancestors but I grieve for them anyhow. One had an older brother killed in the Battle of Walker Creek which was the second battle of the war, in Missouri. He was a Confederate. Another on the other side of my family was in the Union army, killed in Virginia in the Battle of the Wilderness. I have found books detailing the history of each of these battles, and have considered reading them... but just this book (Homer P. Figg) is scary enough! And it is fiction with a dose of humorous situations and a boy who is an excellent and impressive liar.
Okay, enough said. It was an interesting story, and even included a Quaker, escaped slaves, and more you might expect to find in the world during the Civil War years. Very interesting indeed.
February 21, 2022
AHAHHAHAHA I LOVE THIS BOOK SM
Homer is the best main character.
Change my mind.
"On my dead body! Would you fry up Bernard just because you were hungry? You leave my friends alone!"
sobbing that made me laugh so hard :D
and the loyal, loving brother
hes so cute <3
Homer is the best main character.
Change my mind.
"On my dead body! Would you fry up Bernard just because you were hungry? You leave my friends alone!"
sobbing that made me laugh so hard :D
and the loyal, loving brother
hes so cute <3
July 16, 2022
2022-23 Elementary School Battle of the Books selection
THE LAST ONE!!!! I have now finished all the titles on 22-23 ESBOB list. Whew!
This one was OK. It was interesting at times but at others felt a bit cliched. Not my favorite.
THE LAST ONE!!!! I have now finished all the titles on 22-23 ESBOB list. Whew!
This one was OK. It was interesting at times but at others felt a bit cliched. Not my favorite.
November 12, 2021
Civil war story of talltails and brotherly love.
July 28, 2022
Fabulous storytelling! Read the second half in a couple of days.
May 25, 2021
Very good and witty. It is a little bit sad in some parts but mostly happy. I loved it and recommend it to kids 10 and up.
November 4, 2018
This was a cute and quick read. Homer’s adventures were always entertaining, and they reminded me a lot of Odysseus’ trials (which I’m assuming was intentional). The ending, however, was so rushed in comparison with the pace of the rest of the book. Still, an entertaining read that would be a good companion to a study of parts of American history.
June 13, 2018
this book is very welll written and well edited.
May 16, 2011
Twelve-year-old Homer P. Figg and his older brother Harold live in Pine Swamp, Maine with their uncle, “the meanest man in the entire state of Maine.” The U.S. Civil War intrudes on their lives when Harold is illegally sold into the Union Army. Bereft, Homer runs away to find his brother, experiencing many outlandish adventures on the way and finally ending up smack dab in middle of the Battle of Gettysburg. Homer is a delightful, spunky boy who tells his story with both humor and pathos in a wonderfully authentic dialect.
I really enjoyed this book (which reminded me in many ways of Elijah Of Buxton), and I can certainly see why it won a Newbery Honor award. Although historical fiction is often a hard sell to middle school students who tend to see it as dry and boring, Homer Figg’s story is anything but. There are a host of eccentric characters and weird situations, all woven together in a funny, suspenseful and historically accurate way. The writing style is wonderful and will keep students’ interest.
Since part of the plot involves a runaway hot-air balloon being used by the Union Army to gather information on the Confederate Army, a good non-fiction book to recommend as a companion to this book might be Lincoln's Flying Spies: Thaddeus Lowe and the Civil War Balloon Corps.
My one minor complaint is the placement of background information (“Some Additional Civil War Facts, Opinions, Slang and Definitions to be Argued, Debated and Cogitated Upon”) at the end of the book, with absolutely no reference to it at the beginning of the book. This all-too-common practice in historical fiction is a pet peeve of mine. It would be so much more helpful for students to read the background information before they read the book – but how can they when the material is essentially hidden at the very end of the book??
I really enjoyed this book (which reminded me in many ways of Elijah Of Buxton), and I can certainly see why it won a Newbery Honor award. Although historical fiction is often a hard sell to middle school students who tend to see it as dry and boring, Homer Figg’s story is anything but. There are a host of eccentric characters and weird situations, all woven together in a funny, suspenseful and historically accurate way. The writing style is wonderful and will keep students’ interest.
Since part of the plot involves a runaway hot-air balloon being used by the Union Army to gather information on the Confederate Army, a good non-fiction book to recommend as a companion to this book might be Lincoln's Flying Spies: Thaddeus Lowe and the Civil War Balloon Corps.
My one minor complaint is the placement of background information (“Some Additional Civil War Facts, Opinions, Slang and Definitions to be Argued, Debated and Cogitated Upon”) at the end of the book, with absolutely no reference to it at the beginning of the book. This all-too-common practice in historical fiction is a pet peeve of mine. It would be so much more helpful for students to read the background information before they read the book – but how can they when the material is essentially hidden at the very end of the book??
December 27, 2016
I loved this book! Fun tales of adventure, grand schemes and wit. This is perfect for younger ages too, enough fun to keep them from realizing they are learning a little history. And great for adults. This would be a worthy book club pick. I will check out more from this author.
February 18, 2010
Not exactly the comedy I'd kind of been led to expect by the cover and by many reviews - which is neither the book's nor the author's fault. Instead, it is a clear-eyed Civil War picaresque told by an orphaned boy doggedly searching for his older brother, who has been illegally conscripted into the Union Army. Homer's journey starts at his home in Maine, where he runs into slave-catchers, and moves south, by rail and by steamship, by traveling show and by hot-air balloon, all the way to the battle of Gettysburg.
Most of the way, Homer's misfortunes are quickly recovered from - he is thrown in a pigpen, but then his furious reaction to the teasing he undergoes is noticed by the proprietor of a medicine show, who rescues him, cleans him up and gives him work impersonating a feral child in his show. It's a book that bounces from up to down and back again in a peppy, plotty way.
However, once Homer gets to Gettysburg, there's no up side. Philbrick describes the wailing of injured men, the misery of battle, and the terror that Homer experiences, which is intensified once he finds his brother Harold, and sees Harold rush into danger.
My kids were downright stunned by the sorrow and violence in the Gettysburg chapters. And still I don't call that a bad thing. War is sad and violent, and my kids are old enough to get that message. I will say that the contrast between the last quarter of the novel and the first three-quarters was maybe a little abrupt.
Bob the Builder reads the audio, and while adults may find his broad vocal characterizations a little TOO broad, it is definitely easier on kids when characters have their own distinct voice.
Most of the way, Homer's misfortunes are quickly recovered from - he is thrown in a pigpen, but then his furious reaction to the teasing he undergoes is noticed by the proprietor of a medicine show, who rescues him, cleans him up and gives him work impersonating a feral child in his show. It's a book that bounces from up to down and back again in a peppy, plotty way.
However, once Homer gets to Gettysburg, there's no up side. Philbrick describes the wailing of injured men, the misery of battle, and the terror that Homer experiences, which is intensified once he finds his brother Harold, and sees Harold rush into danger.
My kids were downright stunned by the sorrow and violence in the Gettysburg chapters. And still I don't call that a bad thing. War is sad and violent, and my kids are old enough to get that message. I will say that the contrast between the last quarter of the novel and the first three-quarters was maybe a little abrupt.
Bob the Builder reads the audio, and while adults may find his broad vocal characterizations a little TOO broad, it is definitely easier on kids when characters have their own distinct voice.
March 4, 2010
Orphaned at an early age, Homer P. Figg and his brother, Harold are sent to live with their nasty, unscrupulous Uncle Squinton Leach. When Uncle Squint tricks Harold into signing up for the Union Army, Homer is determined to follow his brother and bring him back safely, no matter what the cost. Along the way, he meets up with characters, both unsavory and kind. First he encounters Stink and Smelt who are as smelly as their names and have captured 'Festus'. Festus is really Samuel Reed, a generous and brave man who is a conductor on the Underground Railroad. Homer saves Samuel's life in a roundabout way and they both escape their captors. Next along comes Jebediah Brewster, a gentle soul who loathes slavery and aids in the Underground Railroad, yet will not use violence in any form. He takes a liking to Homer and his plight to find and bring his brother home, but once again Homer is sent off in the care of a fool, the Rev. Webster B. Willow who is easily swayed by a pretty face. That pretty face belongs to Kate, a con artist in the 1st degree...and on and on, Homer encounters a runaway hot air balloon, a wartime spy masquerading as a traveling medicine show owner, and a whole lot of war horrors.
Sometimes humorous, sometimes sad and scary, The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg is a captivating adventure story that subtlely slips in historical facts that lead up to the end of the Civil War. Its engaging style and clever stretches of truth make it is a true page-turner for all kids...young and old.
Sometimes humorous, sometimes sad and scary, The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg is a captivating adventure story that subtlely slips in historical facts that lead up to the end of the Civil War. Its engaging style and clever stretches of truth make it is a true page-turner for all kids...young and old.
May 18, 2012
I give this book a 3 star rating because it was very good but it was too sad.I also didn't give it 4 because there are times when it get's too long in the same part.The good part is that it's very funny and adventurous.This is because Homer , the main character tells his thinking which is very funny, and his opinions.Its adventurous because Homer makes a journey where many things happen,and get discovered.It wasn't confusing, I understood everything.These two are my favorite book topics.It wasn't the best book I have read because it could be better.There is also some parts in witch it's boring because it just tells the story and nothing specific so you get bored.In these parts I think that they just stretch the scene and get too long.I don't like that.
This book is about the orphans Homer, and his older brother.They are living with his mean uncle.His uncle(Smelt) treats them really bad but Homer's brother defends him most of the time.One of these times , his uncle gets furious,they get scared so, they go and hide.His uncle calls the cops and they catch them.Smelt sells Homer's big brother to the army.This is because all of this was in the U.S Civil War time.Homer won't be able to live with his mean uncle so he takes off to find his brother.In the trip , he meets various important people:Mr. Brewster and Ms.Brewster, kidnappers who kidnap him and steal him,Maine's regiment,a sails man, and a hot air balloonist.He also finds out secrets about , mines and his uncle.The rest is for you to find out when you read the book!
This book is about the orphans Homer, and his older brother.They are living with his mean uncle.His uncle(Smelt) treats them really bad but Homer's brother defends him most of the time.One of these times , his uncle gets furious,they get scared so, they go and hide.His uncle calls the cops and they catch them.Smelt sells Homer's big brother to the army.This is because all of this was in the U.S Civil War time.Homer won't be able to live with his mean uncle so he takes off to find his brother.In the trip , he meets various important people:Mr. Brewster and Ms.Brewster, kidnappers who kidnap him and steal him,Maine's regiment,a sails man, and a hot air balloonist.He also finds out secrets about , mines and his uncle.The rest is for you to find out when you read the book!
March 17, 2015
This was my non print book.
The Mostly True Adventures o Homer P. Figg by Rodman Philbrick is an entertaining and amusing story about two brothers that live with his Uncle Squinton Leach since their parents passed away. Their Uncle is a nasty man that mistreat, overwork and starve the boys until one day one the boys retaliates but as a punishment their Uncle sells illegally the older of the two brother to the Union Army. Now Homer, which is only 12 years old, is desperate to find his brother Harold and flees from his Uncle stable where he is been imprisoned. In search for his brother, Homer begins his amazing adventures. Homer encounters two dangerous thieves and bounty hunters, helps slaves escape through the Underground Railroad, meets the kindest man Mrs. Brewster that helps him get rid of the thieves and send him through steamboat and train to New York to search for his brother. During his trip to New York, Homer exciting journey gets riskier when his meets a couple of con artists, that trick his guardian and steal their money, keep him captive in a pig’s cage, continues his journey with a medicine show man as “pig boy”, runs away in a hot air balloon, steal a pony and run in front of the fire line of the Gettysburg battle and finally finds his brother Harold. Once Homer and Harold are reunited the have a unexpected but pleasant ending! This story demonstrates cunning, family love, perseverance and heroism. Really good book for students to learn vocabulary, learn real facts about the era, the Underground Railroad and Civil War.
The Mostly True Adventures o Homer P. Figg by Rodman Philbrick is an entertaining and amusing story about two brothers that live with his Uncle Squinton Leach since their parents passed away. Their Uncle is a nasty man that mistreat, overwork and starve the boys until one day one the boys retaliates but as a punishment their Uncle sells illegally the older of the two brother to the Union Army. Now Homer, which is only 12 years old, is desperate to find his brother Harold and flees from his Uncle stable where he is been imprisoned. In search for his brother, Homer begins his amazing adventures. Homer encounters two dangerous thieves and bounty hunters, helps slaves escape through the Underground Railroad, meets the kindest man Mrs. Brewster that helps him get rid of the thieves and send him through steamboat and train to New York to search for his brother. During his trip to New York, Homer exciting journey gets riskier when his meets a couple of con artists, that trick his guardian and steal their money, keep him captive in a pig’s cage, continues his journey with a medicine show man as “pig boy”, runs away in a hot air balloon, steal a pony and run in front of the fire line of the Gettysburg battle and finally finds his brother Harold. Once Homer and Harold are reunited the have a unexpected but pleasant ending! This story demonstrates cunning, family love, perseverance and heroism. Really good book for students to learn vocabulary, learn real facts about the era, the Underground Railroad and Civil War.
July 22, 2011
Review originally posted on my blog : http://utahmomslife.blogspot.com/2011...
I am pleased to introduce a guest blogger/reviewer today. Neal, my ten year old son, is willingly writing this review to earn a later bedtime (because I'm cruel like that).
My mom read The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg by Rodman Philbrick to us in the car while we were going on trips this summer. It is a book about a twelve-year-old boy trying to save his brother who was recruited to fight for the Union in the Civil War when he was underage. Homer has many adventures. At one point he's trapped in a pen of pigs and becomes part of a small traveling circus as the "Amazing Pig Boy". Homer likes Professor Fleabottom, who runs the circus, but he might not be who he says he is. He escapes in a silk reconnaissance balloon only to discover that he's landed on the wrong side of the war.
This is a very interesting and funny book. I learned a lot about the Civil War. Homer is a daring and brave kid. He and his brother are orphans so his brother is the only family he's got. He is very good about getting out of scary situations. He thinks quickly on his feet and he can sure tell a whopper. Homer is also very smart.
I recommend this book to anyone from 10 to 95 years old. Actually my five-year-old brother liked it too.
I am pleased to introduce a guest blogger/reviewer today. Neal, my ten year old son, is willingly writing this review to earn a later bedtime (because I'm cruel like that).
My mom read The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg by Rodman Philbrick to us in the car while we were going on trips this summer. It is a book about a twelve-year-old boy trying to save his brother who was recruited to fight for the Union in the Civil War when he was underage. Homer has many adventures. At one point he's trapped in a pen of pigs and becomes part of a small traveling circus as the "Amazing Pig Boy". Homer likes Professor Fleabottom, who runs the circus, but he might not be who he says he is. He escapes in a silk reconnaissance balloon only to discover that he's landed on the wrong side of the war.
This is a very interesting and funny book. I learned a lot about the Civil War. Homer is a daring and brave kid. He and his brother are orphans so his brother is the only family he's got. He is very good about getting out of scary situations. He thinks quickly on his feet and he can sure tell a whopper. Homer is also very smart.
I recommend this book to anyone from 10 to 95 years old. Actually my five-year-old brother liked it too.
February 17, 2017
Telling the truth don’t come easy to me, but I will try, even if old Truth ain’t nearly as useful as a fib sometimes (p 7).
I could not help but think of Mark Twain while reading this book. I think Homer P. Figg and some of Mark Twain's more well known creations would have gotten on well. But then again maybe not, since they would always be trying to out lie and out story tell the other.
Homer P. Figg has a difficult time telling the truth. Ask him a simple question and is as likely as not to start telling a very elaborate and mostly made up tale in response.
Even though he is under age, Homer's older brother is conscripted as a soldier into the Civil War. Homer sets off on an adventure to find his brother and get him out of the war before the war kills him.
Kidnapping, runaway slaves, spies, tattooed ladies, being trapped in a pig pin, and riding in a run away balloon are just some of the adventures that Homer encounters on his mission to rescue his brother.
This was a fun romp of a story that still managed to be serious when dealing with war and the Battle of Gettysburg.
Now the only question remaining is how much of Homer's story is really true??
I could not help but think of Mark Twain while reading this book. I think Homer P. Figg and some of Mark Twain's more well known creations would have gotten on well. But then again maybe not, since they would always be trying to out lie and out story tell the other.
Homer P. Figg has a difficult time telling the truth. Ask him a simple question and is as likely as not to start telling a very elaborate and mostly made up tale in response.
Even though he is under age, Homer's older brother is conscripted as a soldier into the Civil War. Homer sets off on an adventure to find his brother and get him out of the war before the war kills him.
Kidnapping, runaway slaves, spies, tattooed ladies, being trapped in a pig pin, and riding in a run away balloon are just some of the adventures that Homer encounters on his mission to rescue his brother.
This was a fun romp of a story that still managed to be serious when dealing with war and the Battle of Gettysburg.
Now the only question remaining is how much of Homer's story is really true??
February 9, 2017
Ok, the only thing about this book was that is was really really boring for like 4/5 of it and then the last part was all of a sudden really good when he reunited with Harold and when Harold was explaining what had happened to him. I honestly think if the book had just the end, it would be amazing. But I thought it was a good book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 10, 2014
I'm not a huge fan of historical fiction in the first place, but I read this as part of a Children's Literature course and looked at it purely through that lens. Basically, it was okay. I was not blown away, although I could see how it could be a lively read during an American History unit.
The positive: Although convoluted, I could see the constantly changing action hooking kids in, and the writing level is appropriate for older elementary readers. Paired with maps and primary documents, this book could be a great addition to a Civil War unit.
My two criticisms: Homer leading off with the statement that he is a liar caused me to question any and all historical episodes that took place, and, the abrupt change in tone and character of the story the moment Homer arrives at Gettysburg was off-putting. It felt like an entirely different book from there on out.
The positive: Although convoluted, I could see the constantly changing action hooking kids in, and the writing level is appropriate for older elementary readers. Paired with maps and primary documents, this book could be a great addition to a Civil War unit.
My two criticisms: Homer leading off with the statement that he is a liar caused me to question any and all historical episodes that took place, and, the abrupt change in tone and character of the story the moment Homer arrives at Gettysburg was off-putting. It felt like an entirely different book from there on out.
March 10, 2015
The mostly true adventures of Homer P. Figg by Rodman Philbrick is a hilarious story of a boy's adventure.
Since their mother died, Harold and Homer Figg must live with their nasty and mean uncle, Squinton Leach. Each day they get into trouble and get an unfair punishment. Each time it was Homer's fault Harold would step up for his little brother. But sadly, one day Harold throws Squints into the mud and Squints angers. Homer and Harold hide, but when Squints passes the barn, they get confused. HE soon comes back with many townsmen and searches for the two boys. When they are found, Harold is sold into the army, even though he is seventeen and not twenty. It is up to Homer to find his brother back and return to a rightful home.
I loved this book and just finished rereading it. I recommend it to anybody who likes science fiction, funny, war tales.
Since their mother died, Harold and Homer Figg must live with their nasty and mean uncle, Squinton Leach. Each day they get into trouble and get an unfair punishment. Each time it was Homer's fault Harold would step up for his little brother. But sadly, one day Harold throws Squints into the mud and Squints angers. Homer and Harold hide, but when Squints passes the barn, they get confused. HE soon comes back with many townsmen and searches for the two boys. When they are found, Harold is sold into the army, even though he is seventeen and not twenty. It is up to Homer to find his brother back and return to a rightful home.
I loved this book and just finished rereading it. I recommend it to anybody who likes science fiction, funny, war tales.
April 13, 2009
So fun.
Homer P. Figg is the greatest child liar and has ample opportunities to use his abounding skill. As he searches for his brother, who was tricked into the war by the evil uncle, Homer experiences about every great adventure one could have in that day and age: Kidnapping, thieving, running away, war, a medicine show, hot air balloons, Doctors, prison, newspaper men, spies, a tattooed lady, acting, Quakers, mines, evil relatives, cowardice, bravery, bounty hunters, pigs, and con artists. And when it’s all over you have to wonder if he’s even telling the truth.
It’s a great book, one that can entertain children while teaching them about the civil war.
Homer P. Figg is the greatest child liar and has ample opportunities to use his abounding skill. As he searches for his brother, who was tricked into the war by the evil uncle, Homer experiences about every great adventure one could have in that day and age: Kidnapping, thieving, running away, war, a medicine show, hot air balloons, Doctors, prison, newspaper men, spies, a tattooed lady, acting, Quakers, mines, evil relatives, cowardice, bravery, bounty hunters, pigs, and con artists. And when it’s all over you have to wonder if he’s even telling the truth.
It’s a great book, one that can entertain children while teaching them about the civil war.
December 23, 2009
GREAT book about an orphan boy trying to catch up with his older brother who has been kidnapped and forcibly signed up as a soldier during the Civil War. Things do NOT go smoothly for Homer, which provides the humor and adventure promised in this book, but it was the up-close look at war that took my breath away, especially on page 186 when he makes a list of things he saw on the field of battle, including "men digging like dogs in the dirt to get away from the deadly hail of lead," "things too terrible to write, for fear the page will burn" and "things best forgot." (5th grade reading level)
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