Pink and Say by Patricia Polacco 

Pink and Say is a wonderful book about a friendship that is formed between two teenage boys during the Civil War. Say is shot in the leg and near death when Pink finds him. Pink carries him for a long way to where his mother Moe Moe Bay lives. Moe Moe nurses him back to health. While he is recovering he and Pink become good friends. Say is scared to go back to war and does not want to go.  Just before they getting ready to leave a group of marauders comes and Moe Moe forces the boys into the cellar. She stays above to give them a sign when it is clear. When no sign comes they go upstairs to find Moe Moe shot dead. Then they are captured by Confederate soldiers and taken to a prison. Say is held for a few months but Pink is killed.

This would be a good book to read to a class studying the civil war. There are many activities online for student to do before or after reading this book. Before reading you can ask children to tell you what they think the story will be about. After reading you can discuss some of the complex vocabulary in the book that might be above their grade level. Because of the subject matter and the vocabulary I would recommend reading this to grades 2nd and above. 

Here are a few websites that have activities for children to do.

http://www.patriciapolacco.com/books/pink_and_say/ps_index.html

http://users.manchester.edu/Student/BEDawes/