Eli the Good in Mock Newbery 2026

May 09, 2010 The Reading Countess rated it it was amazing

Shelves: read-alouds, ya, historical-fiction

Silas House is now one of only a select few authors whom I want to read ALL of his books. After finishing his first foray into YA lit, I am sold. A fellow Southerner, House captures perfectly what it is to grow up in the South in the 70's as a child of a Vietnam vet. I should know, I was a child just like his main character, Eli.

Eli is a bright, observant, and sensitive boy surrounded by women the summer of 1976. His older sister (six years his senior) is close to him, but Josie's sixteen years Silas House is now one of only a select few authors whom I want to read ALL of his books. After finishing his first foray into YA lit, I am sold. A fellow Southerner, House captures perfectly what it is to grow up in the South in the 70's as a child of a Vietnam vet. I should know, I was a child just like his main character, Eli.

Eli is a bright, observant, and sensitive boy surrounded by women the summer of 1976. His older sister (six years his senior) is close to him, but Josie's sixteen years prove difficult to maneuver around his mother. His mom, the town's beloved science teacher, adores his father. While that is admirable, Eli has always felt on the outskirts and never fully felt his mother's love. She holds a secret in the family that once revealed to Josie, threatens to destroy their relationship. Eli's aunt comes back for the summer, suffering from cancer. He worries about her health and frets over her tumultuous relationship with his dad. Being a war demonstrator has not won her brownie points with his Vietnam War veteran father. Lastly, his best friend Edie is living in turmoil since her mom's abrupt departure.

However, it is Eli's father whose very real struggle with the past threatens to tear his family apart. Suffering from what we now term "post-traumatic syndrome," his moods are volatile and confusing to young Eli. He can change at the drop of a hat: kind, loving, quiet, violent, angry...Eli quietly watches as the memories of the war come flooding back to him at indiscriminant moments. Thankfully, his mom is a stalward supporter of his father, but for how long?

House has managed to throw strong characters with heartbreaking histories together, and his readers are allowed to breathlessly watch as they struggle to navigate their stormy paths, all the while crashing into each other along the way. I found myself weeping at the conclusion of the book, and then searching for all the other works by Silas House to add to my list to read. He has an indescribable way of writing that allows a sneak peek into the minds of each and every unique character. For this reason, I would recommend Eli the Good to be used as a mentor text in the reading/writing middle grade or young adult classroom.

As the bright, observant, and sensitive child of a Vietnam vet who grew up in the 1970's, I understood too well Eli's emotions. Remembering my own father's distance when he returned from the war, I snuck peeks at his pictures while he was in Vietnam, too. The distance in my dad's eyes and the almost savage way he stared blankly at the camera still haunts me today. I, like Eli, saw my father's frightened reaction to loud noises when we heard cannons firing at a historic site. When I was only 12, seeing him literally hit the ground in terror solidified the longterm effects of a brutal war on a person's soul for me.

The war was always an invisible guest in my home as a child and it taught me invaluable lessons I still reflect upon now as an adult. Eli the Good spoke to me directly. I know my students, and even my own son, now 12, would greatly benefit from hearing this amazing tale. ...more

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Sep 12, 2010 Becky Barrier Nelson rated it it was amazing

Shelves: ya, 5th-only

Silas House again impresses me with his writing, both beautiful and powerful! I love emotional realism, and his are among the best! All his characters are memorable and the emotions that run through this book touch and stay with the reader. I loved this book! That being said, is this book appropriate for 5th graders, even distinguished readers? I don't think so. Themes deal with Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome (Daddy--VietNam Vet), anti-war protests (Josie), suicide and attempts at suicide, a chi ...more

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May 30, 2010 Donalyn rated it it was amazing

Shelves: children-s-historical-fiction

Eli struggles with his father's PTSD after returning home from Vietnam. ...more

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Mar 10, 2016 Dolores rated it it was amazing

A quiet, gentle and at times brooding little book, but one that still manages to grip the reader. This is a story of war and how it lives inside those who fight as well as those who wait at home. A story of the families we're born with and those we create. A story of acting on your conscience, even when it hurts the people you love. And a story of forgiveness. ...more

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Sep 16, 2009 Emily Rozmus rated it really liked it

Shelves: review-books

Four and a half stars for this one simply because the first half of the book dragged so terribly! But by page 200 or so, I just could not put it down. Set in 1976, the story is filled with the bicentennial, the after effects of the Viet Nam war, sheltering trees, love and bicycles. It was reminiscent of my own childhood in many ways. House is a master writer and pieces of the book made me stop and reread them to savor the line and the story within it. This is a book to treasure and I will recomm ...more

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