Iron Thunder by Avi

I read this book because it is a 2009/2010 Lamplighter Nominee (click on the Lamplighter link at this website for more Lamplighter titles: http://www.childrenscrownaward.org/home.htm). I was pleasantly surprised by what an interesting read this Civil War novel is. This book tells of the iron ship named the Monitor. The Union army is frantically trying to finish building it in time for a battle with a Confederate iron ship named the Merrimac. The story is told from the perspective of a thirteen-year-old boy named Tom that was an assistant to the ship’s inventor. Tom has to watch out for Confederate spies that want information regarding the Monitor. It’s one thing to help with the building of the ship, but will Tom be aboard the Monitor when it battles with the Merrimac? Pictures are included, which make it all the more engaging.