Pay Attention, Carter Jones. Gary D. Schmidt. 2019. 217 pages. [Source: Review copy]
First sentence: If it
hadn't been the first day of school, and if my mother hadn't been crying
her eyes out the night before, and if the fuel pump on the Jeep had
been doing what a fuel pump on a Jeep is supposed to be doing, and if it
hadn't been raining like an Australian tropical thunderstorm--and I've
been in one, so I know what it's like--and if the very last quart of one
percent milk hadn't gone sour and clumped up, then probably my mother
would never have let the Butler into our house.
Premise/plot:
Carter Jones learns how to be a gentleman when a butler--inherited from
his paternal grandfather--comes to help out the family. At the start of
the novel, Carter is a bit out of sorts--there is a LOT going on in his
life that is confusing and troubling. The butler doesn't "solve"
everything from day one, there is an adjustment period for sure!
One
thing the book has is a strong sports story line. The butler is pretty
insistent that Carter Jones learns to play cricket. And soon it's a new
sport at their middle school with the butler coaching!
But in addition to sports and more sports, it has a strong family story with emotional punches.
My
thoughts: I am not a big fan of sports books. But this one offers
enough characterization to make it worth my while. If you do happen to
be a fan of sports, this one might appeal even more.
I loved
Carter Jones and the butler. I loved Carter's family. I loved seeing
Carter come of age and find some peace among the turmoil.
I
would recommend it. I'm slightly torn between three and four stars.
Three stars because of all the sports--I never did make any sense of
cricket or four stars because of the emotional connection I felt with
the characters.
© 2020 Becky Laney of Young Readers
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