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3.99 AVERAGE
3.99 AVERAGE
I love Gary Schmidt’s writing and character development . Carter Jones father is in the army and on deployment. His wife and four kids are home struggling to get through each day. One morning, there is a knock on the door and there stands a Butler who says he’s been sent to help them. Combining cricket, the Australian countryside, the Butler, and grief, Schmidt creates a cute and endearing story of healing.
Brilliant! I’m still processing all the wisdom from this outstanding book. I highly recommend this book for boys. This was a well-written coming of age novel! Brilliant!
I put off reading this for a while because I thought the publisher's summary of the book was just "meh." It seriously undersells the power of this book. This may be my favorite of all of the author's books, or at least a close second to Orbiting Jupiter, which ripped me to shreds. Highly recommended for grades 5 & up. And now I want to talk to our PE teachers about starting a cricket team...
I have so many thoughts on this book! This review is totally off the rails and I apologize for that.
I think The Wednesday Wars is one of the greatest books of all time but sometimes I read Schmidt’s books and I’m like, “Who let you do this????” (Don’t get me started on Okay for Now, a children’s book about birding that I have never gotten a kid to read.)
This book’s version is: Who let him write an American children’s book about cricket?
I’m going along and I’m mostly ignoring the implausible stuff because I love the characters and I love the world and I wish I had a Butler in my own life. I think the cricket setup mostly worked. I grew up in the country so I know lots of kids who learned to drive young. I am willing to suspend disbelief because I like Gary D. Schmidt.
But then on page 120 there’s this whole thing about the American Revolution and I just couldn’t believe that any 6th graders would care enough about the American Revolution to get mad at another kid for taking an opposing view. This is a bridge too far for me.
Did I tear up at certain points in this book? OF COURSE I DID. Do I still feel like this book is kind of a mess for kids to read? YES I DO. It’s charming and also I don’t know how in the world a kid might be convinced to read it.
Also this book has a terrible title! I love Gary D. Schmidt could someone please help him escape the awful advice he gets???
Also also this is the third middle grade book in a row that I have read that deals with adults inappropriately handling the grief of dead kids. What in the world is this trend??? Is this a theme we need in children’s literature???
I think The Wednesday Wars is one of the greatest books of all time but sometimes I read Schmidt’s books and I’m like, “Who let you do this????” (Don’t get me started on Okay for Now, a children’s book about birding that I have never gotten a kid to read.)
This book’s version is: Who let him write an American children’s book about cricket?
I’m going along and I’m mostly ignoring the implausible stuff because I love the characters and I love the world and I wish I had a Butler in my own life. I think the cricket setup mostly worked. I grew up in the country so I know lots of kids who learned to drive young. I am willing to suspend disbelief because I like Gary D. Schmidt.
But then on page 120 there’s this whole thing about the American Revolution and I just couldn’t believe that any 6th graders would care enough about the American Revolution to get mad at another kid for taking an opposing view. This is a bridge too far for me.
Did I tear up at certain points in this book? OF COURSE I DID. Do I still feel like this book is kind of a mess for kids to read? YES I DO. It’s charming and also I don’t know how in the world a kid might be convinced to read it.
Also this book has a terrible title! I love Gary D. Schmidt could someone please help him escape the awful advice he gets???
Also also this is the third middle grade book in a row that I have read that deals with adults inappropriately handling the grief of dead kids. What in the world is this trend??? Is this a theme we need in children’s literature???
I don’t understand cricket at all, but I do understand the human lessons brought up in this book. My older kids have absolutely love it too. A mix of laughter and hard lessons. I listen to the audio version.
Just as we've come to expect from Gary D. Schmidt, this is a book with a lot of humor and heart and it just GETS YOU IN THE FEELS.
It was kind of a catastrophic morning when The Butler first shows up on Carter Jones's doorstep, otherwise his mom probably wouldn't have let him in. But it was the first day of school and pouring down rain and they were out of milk and Charlie couldn't find her socks and the Jeep wouldn't start. And then the Butler showed up and somehow started putting things to rights. And the Jones family found out that Carter's late grandfather had made an endowment for Mr. Bowles-Fitzpatrick's continued service to the family, especially apt since Carter's dad was overseas serving in the military. So the Butler was here to stay.
Carter's not at all sure about having a butler around, especially one who's going to make him walk the dog even when it's raining and serve him tea with milk and sugar and make him redo his homework until it's perfect. He tries to rebel by "forgetting" his lunch at home, only to find a fancy place setting with a hot lunch waiting for him in the cafeteria in front of everything. The Butler can be "a real pain in the glutes".
But life with the Butler goes on. And Carter finds himself playing cricket and writing a paper about the British side of the Declaration of Independence and actually enjoying tea with milk and sugar. And it turns out that the Butler might be just what Carter Jones needs.
This is just a fun story with a ton of heart. A big portion of it is about cricket, which the entire middle school gets super into once the Butler introduces it, which is in itself kind of wacky and hilarious. But it's also a story about a boy dealing with changes to his family and learning what it means to man up and start taking care of his little sisters.
Hand this one to your readers of Jack Gantos and Christopher Paul Curtis.
It was kind of a catastrophic morning when The Butler first shows up on Carter Jones's doorstep, otherwise his mom probably wouldn't have let him in. But it was the first day of school and pouring down rain and they were out of milk and Charlie couldn't find her socks and the Jeep wouldn't start. And then the Butler showed up and somehow started putting things to rights. And the Jones family found out that Carter's late grandfather had made an endowment for Mr. Bowles-Fitzpatrick's continued service to the family, especially apt since Carter's dad was overseas serving in the military. So the Butler was here to stay.
Carter's not at all sure about having a butler around, especially one who's going to make him walk the dog even when it's raining and serve him tea with milk and sugar and make him redo his homework until it's perfect. He tries to rebel by "forgetting" his lunch at home, only to find a fancy place setting with a hot lunch waiting for him in the cafeteria in front of everything. The Butler can be "a real pain in the glutes".
But life with the Butler goes on. And Carter finds himself playing cricket and writing a paper about the British side of the Declaration of Independence and actually enjoying tea with milk and sugar. And it turns out that the Butler might be just what Carter Jones needs.
This is just a fun story with a ton of heart. A big portion of it is about cricket, which the entire middle school gets super into once the Butler introduces it, which is in itself kind of wacky and hilarious. But it's also a story about a boy dealing with changes to his family and learning what it means to man up and start taking care of his little sisters.
Hand this one to your readers of Jack Gantos and Christopher Paul Curtis.
This is my third Gary D Schmidt book, and probably my third favorite. Such a great message amidst the sadness of Carter’s circumstance. I just about cried when the Butler said “We are what we love”.... such a sweet moment. I love these books and I’m so glad to have them in my collection to have my kids read.
I did get lost in the cricket language! And I definitely had to look up some videos to see what they were talking about sometimes!!
I did get lost in the cricket language! And I definitely had to look up some videos to see what they were talking about sometimes!!
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I knew practically nothing about this going on and ended up loving it! I loved both Carter and the butler, and both characters really made the story for me.
I am not a huge sports person, but I didn't mind the focus on cricket and really enjoyed the parallels to the story. I thought it was a great middle grade read with deep themes and lessons.
I am not a huge sports person, but I didn't mind the focus on cricket and really enjoyed the parallels to the story. I thought it was a great middle grade read with deep themes and lessons.
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Death, Abandonment