"Chris Brabson hates the Yankees, plain and simple." This is from the Newberry Honor Book, The Perilous Road, by William O. Steele. But Chris Brabson has the right to be angry at the Yankees--or some of them. After all, they've taken all of the food his family has saved for the winter. All the food that they worked so hard to grow and hunt! Yet somehow, Chris's brother Jethro joins up with them! "How could he betray the South," his browned-haired brother wonders." Chris will do anything for the Confederate cause. He lets loose the mules that pull the Yankee wagons, tries to shoot some Yankees passing through the woods, and most importantly, he tells a potential spy where the Yankee wagons are headed. Now the Confederates know exactly where to attack, and the best way to attack. Then Chris discovers that Jethro might be driving one of those wagons!! Has Chris just caused his own brothers death? He must find Jethro and warn him. This sends Chris flying to the Yankee camp. No Jethro. Worn out, he sits next to some Yankees. They feed him and reassure him. Their kindness makes Chris think, "Maybe the Yankees aren't so wicked and hateful. These two Yankees have been kind to me." In the midst of these thoughts, the Confederates attack-- and Chris hasn't yet found his brother!!
I felt sorrow and anger when Chris and the potential spy, Silas, talked about hating the Yankees. I think it will make other readers upset too. Though Chris hates the Yankees, there's one that he has an extremely strong bond with: Jethro. Why else would Chris go looking for him to warn and protect him? This story teaches us that we shouldn't hate a whole group of people without knowing the individuals. It also reminds us that despite different beliefs, always remain loyal to your family. Everyone should follow the lessons in this thrilling book.
If you are a person who likes to read about the Civil War, you would enjoy this book. Many books about the Civil War are told from only one side. You can read about what the people on both sides of this war might have been thinking. You would also love this story if you are fond of action adventures. From hanging off of a cliff to escape the Yankees, to nearly getting caught by them when setting mules free, Chris's story is action packed!

The Perilous Road is as excellent as any history channel show. This book made me feel cheerful, gloomy, and sometimes enraged all in one. The Perilous Road is about a boy who hates the Yanks. He was like any other boy; he enjoyed swimming, fishing, and hunting. Until one day his life changed forever... After a shootout with the Yanks, Chris was forced to run and hide from the "Blue Bellies" who were chasing him. But while hanging onto a rock wall, his hands began to slip. After he was sure the Yanks were gone, he yelled for help. His brother came to help him up and give him the news "I'm joinin' the Yanks." How could Chris' own brother betray the South and betray him?

The next couple of days one of Chris' friends calls him a "Blue Belly!" At that Chris snaps. The next night he goes to the mule pens and sets every last stolen mule free. There he meets Silas sneaking around and his suspicions for his friend rise. The next day Chris asks Silas, "Be you a spy?" At that Silas becomes very worried.

While hunting one day, Chris looked through a bush and saw hundreds of wagons belonging to the Yanks. He ran over to Silas to tell him the news. After Silas had ran to tell someone about the wagons. Chris remembered his brother was a wagoneer. Will Chris be able to warn his brother in time?

This book is for readers ten and up for the use of old English.
It is a good example of historical fiction. The moral of this story is never judge a man until you walk three moons in his shoes.

The Perilous Road was fun and exiting I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

I can't believe this actually got a Newbery Honor. It is barely mediocre. I just read this book aloud to my two boys, age 11 and 14. They usually love good war books like "Hornblower goes to sea". When I got to the middle of this book, in what should have been the most exciting and interesting part, all three of us wanted to just throw it in the trash. In the first chapter, Chris decides he "hates" yanks because one of them steals his buck skin jacket. The whole rest of the book is a boring and repetitive temper tantrum. He says about 50 times how much he hates the Yanks, but the author fails to convince the reader that the hatred is sincere. The only suspense is whether Chris is going to kill himself before he realises how stupid he is. What kind of hero is that? And why should the reader care if he gets killed or not? The ending is anticlimactic. Chris just comes home and tells his Pa he's sorry for being so stupid, and his Pa says that's ok, and says some antiwar cliches. The several mysteries surrounding Silas are just red herrings and never resolved.