Skip to main content

Pay Attention, Carter Jones

Image
By
Pay Attention, Carter Jones
By Gary D. Schmidt
Clarion Books, 2019. Fiction.

On the first day of school when they run out of milk, the Jeep won't start, and Carter's little sister Charlotte's favorite yellow sock is ruined - the Butler arrives. Mr. Bowles-Fitzpatrick is a real-life English butler who was bequeathed to Carter Jones's family by the paternal grandfather he never met. Carter's father is deployed in Germany, his mother is struggling to make ends meet, and the family is still reeling from the death of Carter's younger brother Currier three years earlier. The Butler shows up at just the right time  - a gentleman's gentleman determined to turn Carter into the aforementioned with an approach not dissimilar to Mary Poppins (minus the magic). At first, Carter tries to resist but he isn't counting on the Butler being quite so determined. The Butler is determined - to encourage Carter to step up at home, remember the hard memories of his past, and especially to learn to play cricket.

This book is an example of Gary D. Schmidt at his best - a central story filled with all the pain, disappointment and grief that comes from hardship is matched by rich and nuanced humor (like a pet dachshund that throws-up when he's excited). This is an emotionally complex and relatively slim novel that captures the challenges that change and disappointment can bring - and the importance of having an emotional support system when those challenges arise. This stunning new novel from the author of THE WEDNESDAY WARS and OKAY, FOR NOW will appeal to readers young and old.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Review: The Factory

By
The Factory By Catherine Egan New York, NY : Scholastic Inc., 2025. Fiction. 306 pages.  Thirteen-year-old Asher Doyle has been invited to join the Factory, a secretive research facility in the desert which ostensibly extracts renewable energy from the electromagnetic fields of its young recruits. But Asher soon realizes something sinister is going on. Kids are getting sick. The adults who run the Factory seem to be keeping secrets. And the extraction process is not only painful and exhausting, but existentially troubling. Asher makes a handful of new friends who help him with an investigation that turns into a resistance, which turns into...a cliffhanger! The Factory is a page-turning sci-fi with multidimensional characters, an intriguing plot, and refreshingly straight-forward writing. Egan weaves in detail about climate crises and social unrest, making the story's dystopian setting feel rich and plausible. With its sophisticated themes and accessible storytelling, I would recomm...
Post a Comment
Read more

If You Like...KPop Demon Hunters

By
KPop Demon Hunters has been one of the most talked-about movies of the summer. If you loved this movie as much as I did, you don't want the magic (or the music) to stop. Try reading these books that touch on some of the same topics and themes as the animated hit! Brick Dust and Bones By M. R. Fournet New York: Feiwel and Friends, 2023. Fiction. 247 pages. Orphaned Marius works in the family business--as their cemetery's ghost caretaker. However, Marius also moonlights as a monster hunter in order to earn the costly Mystic currency he needs to bring his mother back from the dead. As the window to bring his mother back begins to close, Marius's exploits get more and more dangerous, and he may have set his sights on a monster too big to handle on his own. Like Mira, Marius longs for familial connection, and his work as a monster hunter will satisfy the thrill of demon hunting for fans the movie. Where's Halmoni? By Julie J. Kim Seattle, WA: Little Bigfoot, 2017. Comics. W...
Post a Comment
Read more

Review: Finding Lost

By
Finding Lost By Holly Goldberg Sloan New York: Rocky Pond Books, 2025. Fiction. 208 pages. Middle schooler Cordy, along with her mom and little brother, Geno, are still learning how to adjust to their life after “The Accident,” a tragic boating accident that cost their father’s life. When Cordy is walking home from school one day, she finds a little stray dog who the family nicknames Lost, and as he joins their family, he helps them rediscover all of the beauty that life has to offer. Holly Goldberg Sloane delivers a heart-warming and poignant novel about loss, family, and perseverance. This was a well-written novel that could appeal to a wide range of readers. Any middle schooler will be able to relate to Cordy’s experience of dealing with change, and those who have experienced a similar loss will be sure to find solace in this beautiful story.
Post a Comment
Read more