Iron Thunder

Avi. Iron Thunder. New York: Hyperion. 2007.

ISBN 10-142310446-3

Summary

Tom is a boy who just lost his father in the Civil War. His mother does laundry for ironworkers and brings in a little money each week, and his sister is ill and unable to work much to help support the family. Tom’s mother finds him a job at the iron yard that will make 75 cents a week, and he takes it. Little does he know that he is about to become part of history. He becomes the right hand man of Captain Ericsson, the inventor of the iron clad called the Monitor. Tom goes from resenting his job to finding himself approached by spies from the south to becoming the first recruit to serve on the Monitor as it goes to head off the Merrimac. This story is masterfully crafted around the character of Tom, dealing with the struggles of a young man torn between taking care of his family, staying safe, and going on the adventure of a lifetime that might just lead to his death. The fact that this is just a story about a boy makes the rest of the setting less intimidating, and the pictures and facts about the actual events complement what Tom is going through.

“I was pretty quiet over my coffee, bread, and molasses, thinking about all that was going to happen: the launching and Mr. Quinn. The wasy I was feeling, either way I would be sunk.”

Reviews

Decked out with the appurtenances of nonfiction—maps, a resource list (leaning toward upper-level titles), and a generous array of contemporary prints for illustrations—Avi’s historical novel views the construction of the Monitor and the ensuing epochal battle with its Confederate rival through the eyes of an actual but fictionalized crew member.

-Booklist (August 2007 (Vol. 103, No. 22))

Enrichment Activity

The fear throughout the novel at the seaworthiness of this craft leads to a fun experiement. Have each student bring an empty food can to decorate at the Monitor according to the descriptions and pictures in the book, and then see if it will actually float. This is the same lesson that Tom learns about displacement. Students can then document their findings in a journal or create a picture and caption of what happened.