Ben Sanders Mr. Peter Bradshaw Précis, Across Five April February 29, 2016 Word Count: 1,006 Précis: Across Five Aprils Jethro, a nine year old boy is planting potatoes with his mother (Ellen Creighton) for the summer crop. Jethro has 12 siblings, four of which have sadly perished. Jethro’s mother is a tired woman who favors Jethro out of all her children. Three of Jethro’s deceased siblings perished from children’s paralysis the year that Jethro came into this world. Jethro somehow escaped the disease as an infant. The other dead sibling is named Mary and was murdered by a group of hoodlums when she was on a date; they chased them and shot at them killing Mary. Ellen knows he is a special boy. As if he was marked by destiny (1-9). Shadrach Yale is a good man who becomes a teacher at the school Jethro’s father works at. Shadrach became ill with typhoid fever and Jethro’s mother nursed him back to health. Shadrach plans to leave and go to a nearby town and get news about the dispute between the North and the South. Ellen worries that he will bring news of war. The next day as Jethro and his mother are working. They see Wilse Graham Ellen’s son in law and are anxious to hear what news he brings (9-35).
