Bull Run is another of the author's books with a period setting and firstperson narration. In this one, sixteen fictional characters give their accounts of the first major battle of the Civil War. Through the individual voices of the men and women, the blacks and whites, the northerners and southerners, Fleischman paints a vivid portrait of the bloodiest U.S. war. The portrait is multi-dimensional, including both historical information and the characters' thoughts and feelings. As in The Borning Room, this technique gives the reader a more comprehensive understanding of the time and the event.

Fleischman's other historical novels for young adults include The Half-aMoon Inn, Path of the Pale Horse, and Saturnalia. Each offers engaging characters, important themes, and provocative plots. The Half-a-Moon Inn is a haunting story in which the main character, a young servant boy, works for Miss Grackle, the Inn's villainous owner...