Students complete reading assignment on Civil War novel

Coal City Middle School's eighth-grade students have completed their second novel of the year in social studies class. The students read "Soldier’s Heart" by Gary Paulsen. The story is set in Minnesota in June 1861, at the start of the Civil War. It follows Charley Goddard as he enlists in the Union Army and goes to battle. Goddard leaves for war at age 15, eager for adventure, but returns home four years later a changed man. "Soldier’s Heart" helps students connect with battles and hardships faced by soldiers during the Civil War.