The Soldier Boy's Discovery

Bonnets and Bugles #4

by Gilbert Morris

Jeff faces one difficulty after another as he serves as a drummer boy in the Confederate Army, all while wrestling with personal issues of faith, and meeting Christians in unexpected ways. Meanwhile, Leah is receiving the unexpected attention from a young escaped Union prisoner.

The Soldier Boy’s Discovery is the fourth of a ten book series, that tells the story of two close families find themselves on different sides of the Civil War after the fall of Fort Sumter in April 1861. Thirteen year old Leah becomes a helper in the Union army with her father, who hopes to distribute Bibles to the troops. Fourteen year old Jeff becomes a drummer boy in the Confederate Army and struggles with faith while experiencing personal hardship and tragedy. The series follows Leah, Jeff, family, and friends, as they experience hope and God’s grace through four years of war.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Christian Fiction, Fiction, Young Adult, Christian, Historical, Christian Historical Fiction

168 pages, Paperback

First published January 9, 1996

About the author

also published under the name Gilbert L. Morris

Gilbert Morris was one of today's best-known Christian novelists. He lived in Gulf Shores, Alabama, with his wife, Johnnie. He is the father to Lynn Morris and Alan Morris

Series:
* Adventures of Kerrigan Kids
* American Century
* Appomattox Saga
* Barney Buck
* Bonnets and Bugles
* Cheney Duvall, M.D. (with Lynn Morris)
* Cheney and Shiloh: The Inheritance (with Lynn Morris)
* Chronicles of the Golden Frontier
* The Creole (with Lynn Morris)
* Danielle Ross Mystery
* Daystar Voyages
* Dixie Morris Animal Adventures
* Far Fields (with Robert Funderburk)
* House of Winslow
* Jacques and Cleo: Cat Detectives
* Katy Steele Adventures (with Alan Morris)
* Lady Trent Mystery
* Liberty Bell
* Lions of Judah
* Lone Star Legacy
* Omega (with Lynn Morris and Alan Morris)
* The Price of Liberty (with Robert Funderburk)
* Reno Western Saga
* Seven Sleepers
* Seven Sleepers: The Lost Chronicles
* Singing River
* Spirit of Appalachia (with Aaron McCarver)
* Too Smart Jones
*

Reviews

[Andrea Cox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lucy: I want you to promise me that you won’t take any chances.
Jeff: Can’t promise that without promising to stay in bed the rest of my life. If a man’s going to live, he’s going to take chances. He just needs to pick the situations where it’s worth taking a chance.

The above quote really rang true for me as I read this story. Courage is beautifully displayed in this whole series so far, and it’s a theme we may all learn from.

I enjoyed this book very much. There was an inconsistency early on compared to previous books. It was stated that it was Jeff’s first trip back home to Kentucky, but in the previous book he also went home to Kentucky to take his little sister to live with the Carters. Other than that, everything was spot-on with the previous stories, so the series is building well from one book to the next.

I like how this book was family-oriented yet branched out to include friends as well. Too many times life can become distracting, but it’s when we remember and focus on faith and family that we thrive the most. This book was a great picture of that.

Content: one expletive, gambling

[Ellie Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always love more adventures with Jeff and Leah! Things were a little more tense in this book but they worked it all out! Extra great faith!!!

[Morgan's Endless Bookshelf · Rating 5 out of 5]

The theme of forgiveness and not holding grudges was well explored here. While I guess it might be seen like too much for so many characters to have that issue, they're also teenagers, so...I don't think it's that unrealistic. And the portrayal of Antietam was as heartbreaking as it should be. This series does not shy away from showing the horrors of war. Since I never finished it as a kid, this makes me rather nervous for our main characters and their families. I'm sure someone important is going to die eventually; I just don't know who yet.

[Rebecca Rash · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book, not a favorite in the series.

[Susanna Hamilton · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 Stars. I remembered not liking this book a lot when I read it the first time, and it's actually as bad as I remembered.

The reason why I'm even giving this book two stars is because I love the historical elements of the book and I was happy to finally get Royal's perspective on the battlefield (even if it only lasted for a page and a half...). Other than that, however, I felt that this was a very weak addition to the book series, and I would go so far as to say it is the worst book in the series.

My biggest problem with the book is Lucy. Am I supposed to like her? Because I truly can't stand her character! She is annoying, constantly sulking or acting like someone has kicked a puppy in front of her, and all the characters sympathize with her for some reason that I will never understand. I feel like Gilbert Morris forgot how he wrote her in the previous book. Lucy from book three was jealous, conniving, sneaky, and a bully. She made fun of Leah for not being rich, was jealous that Jeff was closer to Leah than her, opened someone else's mail (which is actually a crime in some places), and accused Leah of helping a prisoner escape - a crime which would have been considered treason and resulted in a hanging. And, when Jeff yells at Lucy in this book, I thought it was 100% justified. But then, all Lucy has to do is apologise and sulk and she is forgiven? Also, why were all the men being so hard on Leah for not wanting to forgive Lucy? I understand that you are supposed to be the bigger person, but is everyone forgetting that she tried to get Leah killed because she was jealous of her? I really hated that Leah was called the "spoiled brat" and basically told to grow up and forgive Lucy (and, of course, Leah was proven wrong in her suspicions about Lucy - but why wouldn't she be suspicious of someone who tried to get her killed?!?).

Maybe I'm overreacting (I know they're all fictional), but the whole Lucy and Leah situation leaves a bad taste in my mouth, and I don't think Gilbert Morris did a good job of developing Lucy's character. If you want to give her a redemption arc, by all means do so! But, give me a reason to care about the character. Make me like them in spite of their flaws so that I will be rooting for them to be redeemed. Don't simply have a character sulk until people forgive her. That's not good character development and I think it brought down the whole story.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another excellent story by Mr. Morris!

[Baylee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Leah and Jeff and there family's I really liked how they had different point of views for the army and you could see what it would have been like to be in there shoes. Over all I absolutely loved this book series!

[The Third Place A Teen Library]

F MOR bab bk.4

[Linda head · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent- Children's Book.