Prince Across the Water:

Yolen and Harris set this story in 1745 with the return of Bonnie Prince Charlie, son of the "Pretender to the English Throne", who has come to Scotland in order to claim the throne for his own. Duncan MacDonald is a 14 year old boy who is taken in by the glory of war and honor and wishes longingly to accompany his father to battle. Things developing as they do, Duncan receives his chance to be in the thick of fighting at the devastating battle of Culloden and he discovers that true war is not anything like he'd thought it would be. A side story of the "fits" Duncan suffers becomes a major plot point later on but is a bit of a distraction. The story is flavored with the dialect of the Scottish people and a glossary is included at the end. This is a realistic portrayal of a young boy's dreams of war and the inevitable shattering of not only the dreams but of lives as well. Good, solid, interesting but not riveting reading.

When Bonnie Prince Charles comes home to Scotland and tries to rally his people to retake his throne from the English, he disrupts the lives of all the Scottish people. Duncan and Ewan are two boys from the same village who run off to fight for their prince - a prince they have never seen. Charles is defeated and forced to run for his life, Ewan is killed, and only Duncan is left to remember how he fought for his prince and to pass the legends on to his children. There are several Scottish words in the text, but the authors have provided us with a little glossary at the end. They also include the factual information that was used in constructing the story. I recommend this book for readers of historical fiction. It is written on a level that makes it usable in middle school, but older readers may enjoy it as well.