The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg by Rodman Philbrick

I picked this book up because it was by the author who wrote Freak the Mighty, which I liked. This is a historical fiction about a boy whose brother was conscripted into the Union army even though he was under age.  Throughout the story, the boy, Homer, is trying to find his brother and get him out of the army.  Homer's brother, Henry is honorable and true, but Homer likes to make up tall tales about himself, so adults consider him to be a terrible liar. Despite this, Homer makes friends everywhere he goes, and finds himself in interesting company.  He meets a Quaker, who helps run away slaves, a preacher who is duped by some swindlers, and a man who runs a traveling medicine show.  Homer finally finds his brother at at the Battle of Gettysburg and ends up becoming a reluctant hero. I think the author was trying to make Homer funny and endearing, but I think he mostly came off as annoying. Homer was fairly intelligent most of the time, but his tall tales were so ridiculously far fetched, they are completely unbelievable. I think the story would have worked better if Homer had been a convincing liar, instead of a ridiculous one.  Most of the story is lighthearted and silly yet the battle scene at the end is terrifying and gruesome.  Overall the book was a disappointment.  There are so many good historical fiction books about the civil war, don't waist time on this one. (224 p)