<h3>Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy</h3>

Schmidt, G. (2004). Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy. NY: Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN: 9780618439294.

Plot Summary: It’s 1911 and Turner is newly arrived in a small coastal town in Maine, where his father is their new minister. He is unpopular with other children, watched by suspicious adults and feeling restricted by his rigid family life. His world is a lonely one until he meets thirteen-year old Lizzie Bright, the granddaughter of the minister of the nearby island, Malaga. Their village is an impoverished community of slave descendants and Turner’s town authorities want to eliminate it (without taking responsibility for its current residents) in order to attract tourists. Lizzie is tough, smart and wise and allows Turner to feel more comfortable in her community than he ever will in his own. Turner’s father is pressured and manipulated by the church leadership and only Turner feels obligated to take a stand against this injustice.

Critical Evaluation: This haunting story is based on the actual destruction of Malaga Island in 1912 and would appeal to younger teens in the 6th to 10th grade. It’s powerful in it’s rich language and metaphorical content. More remarkably, the story’s characters are full and dynamic. Almost everyone changes over time, from being racist to open-hearted, from being a bully to understanding what’s right, from being stalwart to being humble and from being carefree to being full of responsibility. Relationships likewise ebb and flow and Turner’s life-changing experience becomes a lush, moving and memorable tale.

Reader’s Annotation:
How do you go against your town, your family and even your own sense of self-doubt to do something you know in your heart is right? Turner is stuck between pleasing his minister father and trying to save the life of his friend and her community. It won’t be easy and Turner will never be the same again…

Information About the Author:
Gary D. Schmidt is a writer of children's nonfiction books and young adult novels. He lives on a farm in Michigan with his wife and six children. He splits wood, plants gardens, writes, feeds the wild cats that visit and wishes that sometimes the sea breeze came that far inland. He is a Professor of English at Calvin College. In January of 2005, while in Boston for the New England Saints Interim, Schmidt learned that Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy had been named both a John Newbery Honor Book and the Michael L. Printz Honor Book by the American Library Association, a pair of the most prestigious honors in the world of children’s literature.

Genre:
Teen Issues: Outsiders
Contemporary Life: Coming of Age
Historic Novels: Twentieth Century (1900-1920)
Multicultural Fiction: African Americans, Multiple Cultures and Culture Clash

Curriculum Ties:
English class, Geography class, History class, Ethnic Studies class, Book clubs, Social clubs, Social Studies class, Religion class

Booktalking Ideas:
• How Turner changes and matures throughout the novel
• How our family relationships influence decisions
• The actual historical event of Malaga Island and how it’s retold her
• Racism during the early 1900s and taboo friendships
• What would you have done in a similar situation?

Reading Level/Interest Age: Grades 6-10

Challenge Issues/Defenses:

Potential Challenges:
• Portrayal of racist behavior and language
• Depictions of violence

Defense Strategy:
• Provide our Collection Development Policy (which includes Young Adult scope): http://www.librarything.com/work/1153708/reviews/

• Refer to awards won by this book from reputable organizations:
http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780553494952&view=awards

• Provide book reviews by actual readers on a publicly accessible website:
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Lizzie-Bright-and-the-Buckminster-Boy/Gary-D-Schmidt/e/9780553494952

• Provide book club discussion questions used to address issues or book content:
http://www.randomhouse.com/teachers/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780553494952&view=tg
• Provide advisory reviews for parents about book content and age appropriateness:
http://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/Lizzie-Bright-Buckminster-Boy.html

Why This Book Was Included: I try to stay current with award-winning YA literature and since this one had won two big ones, I wanted to check it out. It’s a wonderfully told tale based on historic fact about racism in America and one that includes a lyrical, eloquent style of writing. I also wanted to include a few title on this blog list for younger teens.