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3.99 AVERAGE
3.99 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
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
This was great: Schmidt’s deft exploration of becoming a gentleman (aka kind, upstanding
person) in the modern day, while handling loss and peer pressure.
If you took Mary Poppins, made her man and less snippy, and threw in a lot about cricket (which was actually intriguing) among modern day problems you’d end up with something like this, but only Gary Schmidt could make it this funny, touching and real.
Carter and his family (mom and three younger sisters) are reeling from the death of Currier, their little brother. Their dad is in the military, but even more distant than necessary. There is a lot unsaid.
Carter remembers a camping trip to The Blue Mountains of Australia and it first it seems beautiful but then other details are revealed. And we get a picture of his dad. pp 58, 112, 122, 179.
The cricket, including the rules posted at the head of every chapter, becomes a metaphor for how to live a good life.
The butler’s parting words, every morning to each kid: “Make good decisions, and remember who you are”. “...love” is it the same?
Why does Carter always call him: “ the butler “?
person) in the modern day, while handling loss and peer pressure.
If you took Mary Poppins, made her man and less snippy, and threw in a lot about cricket (which was actually intriguing) among modern day problems you’d end up with something like this, but only Gary Schmidt could make it this funny, touching and real.
Carter and his family (mom and three younger sisters) are reeling from the death of Currier, their little brother. Their dad is in the military, but even more distant than necessary. There is a lot unsaid.
Carter remembers a camping trip to The Blue Mountains of Australia and it first it seems beautiful but then other details are revealed. And we get a picture of his dad. pp 58, 112, 122, 179.
The cricket, including the rules posted at the head of every chapter, becomes a metaphor for how to live a good life.
The butler’s parting words, every morning to each kid: “Make good decisions, and remember who you are”. “...love” is it the same?
Why does Carter always call him: “ the butler “?
Why did I think that this one was going to be lighter than Schmidt’s other stories? It’s got his characteristic blend of humor and deep emotion, a deep dive into a topic new to the character (cricket, in this case). Loved the cameo appearance of an Okay for Now character (set in the same town, but later enough for a middle schooler to grow up). I can’t believe it took me until the end for me to figure out the theme in the siblings names (although I can’t figure out how Carter fits in).
This book was surprisingly touching. I have read others of Schmidt's books, which have all been good, but this one seemed to really go to my heart. The premise (a butler showing up on the family doorstep) isn't as unlikely as it seemed at first, and, while there are a few other things that also seem unlikely in real life, the story more than makes up for them in nuances that add so much. I am not a cricket aficionado, so those parts were a bit beyond me, but I did recently get back from Australia, where we descended into the Blue Mountains valley, so I could really feel the atmosphere of the references to the Australian rain forest. But what really makes the difference is the attempts on Carter's part to learn how to be a gentleman, especially in relation to his mother and siblings. It isn't an especially happy book, but it is a hopeful one. It would be lovely if more boys had a butler like this.
This should probably be a 4 and a half star rating. I seldom give 5 star ratings. The half point is a deduction for some of the cricket scenes, which went on just a bit too long for me.
This should probably be a 4 and a half star rating. I seldom give 5 star ratings. The half point is a deduction for some of the cricket scenes, which went on just a bit too long for me.
Good story. Loved Carter and the Butler. My heart broke for Carter in the loss his family experiences. And the fact that he carried some information around about his dad that no one else seemed to know. He's so angry - and for good reason. I appreciate what the Butler does for this family - how he gives Carter's mom space to find herself again, how he encourages Carter to take on (reasonable) responsibilities to help out his family. And I loved his message to each of the kids as they got out of the car for school every day. The cricket pieces weren't a great fit for me, but I thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the story.
I was truly looking forward to reading Gary D Schmidt's Pay Attention, Carter Jones and I did enjoy parts of it, but as a whole it was a disappointment for me. (Having loved The Wednesdays Wars and Okay For Now, maybe my expectations were too high?)
Pay Attention, Carter Jones begins with a bang: it's Carter's first day of middle school, one little sister is searching desperately for a missing sock, while another calls her a 'baby,' his youngest sister is screeching while his mother tries to fix her hair, the car won't start, there is no milk for breakfast and then the sock is finally discovered where the dog, Ned, threw up on it. In the midst of this chaos the doorbell rings and Carter opens it to a portly man in a suit and a bowler hat. It turns out that Mr. Bowles-Fitzpatrick (whom Carter calls the Butler) used to serve his paternal grandfather in Europe as a 'gentleman's gentleman.' With his most recent employer's death a little over a week ago, Bowles-Fitzpatrick was left an endowment to remain in the employ of the son's family...leading him to Carter's doorstep.
The premise is simple and predictable: Carter's family has experienced a tragic loss, his father has been deployed to Germany and Carter--as the oldest child--is trying his best to move forward and help his mother and sisters do the same. The fortuitous arrival of Mr. Bowles-Fitzpatrick creates the predictable Mary Poppins- or Nanny McPhee-esque plotline: unhappy child/family who is struggling to come to terms with the harsh realities of life discovers the inherent qualities within himself that allow him to find a fresh, new beginning/outlook on what is before him, thanks to the love and guidance of the newly arrived adult, who has a different take on the whole situation.
Indeed, Carter's relationship with the Butler is sweet--often funny--and heartwarming in all the ways that make this type of plot paradigm succeed. The disconnect, however, happens as a result of the Butler using the game of cricket as the main metaphor through which he chooses to communicate his advice and explanations to Carter. The rules of the sport cricket are used extensively to emphasize important moments in Carter's life and his journey through grief and anger. I--like a lot of United States citizens--do not have a very good knowledge of cricket either technically or in practice. Sports metaphors are often used in literature to parallel life challenges for a character but this only works when the reader has at least a basic knowledge of the sport in question from which to make the associations the author is weaving into the plot. In general I, personally, do not like a lot of sports-themed stories, although I understand their effectiveness in metaphor. They generally don't hold my interest and this could be one reason why I had trouble staying connected to Carter when his personal journey was interrupted so often by lengthy descriptions of cricket play and rules.
I loved the characters of both Carter and Mr. Bowles-Fitzpatrick, but found it hard to stay connected to them and their relationship when it was constantly being interrupted for cricket references or instruction. Pay Attention, Carter Jones jumps back and forth in tone from light and funny to deep and personal. The throughline for the story is supposed to be the cricket analogy. Pay Attention, Carter Jones is a good independent read for a middle grade reader who enjoys sports-themed fiction and/or who has some knowledge of the game of cricket, but I think it will be a hard sell to a reader who does not have these predispositions.
Pay Attention, Carter Jones begins with a bang: it's Carter's first day of middle school, one little sister is searching desperately for a missing sock, while another calls her a 'baby,' his youngest sister is screeching while his mother tries to fix her hair, the car won't start, there is no milk for breakfast and then the sock is finally discovered where the dog, Ned, threw up on it. In the midst of this chaos the doorbell rings and Carter opens it to a portly man in a suit and a bowler hat. It turns out that Mr. Bowles-Fitzpatrick (whom Carter calls the Butler) used to serve his paternal grandfather in Europe as a 'gentleman's gentleman.' With his most recent employer's death a little over a week ago, Bowles-Fitzpatrick was left an endowment to remain in the employ of the son's family...leading him to Carter's doorstep.
The premise is simple and predictable: Carter's family has experienced a tragic loss, his father has been deployed to Germany and Carter--as the oldest child--is trying his best to move forward and help his mother and sisters do the same. The fortuitous arrival of Mr. Bowles-Fitzpatrick creates the predictable Mary Poppins- or Nanny McPhee-esque plotline: unhappy child/family who is struggling to come to terms with the harsh realities of life discovers the inherent qualities within himself that allow him to find a fresh, new beginning/outlook on what is before him, thanks to the love and guidance of the newly arrived adult, who has a different take on the whole situation.
Indeed, Carter's relationship with the Butler is sweet--often funny--and heartwarming in all the ways that make this type of plot paradigm succeed. The disconnect, however, happens as a result of the Butler using the game of cricket as the main metaphor through which he chooses to communicate his advice and explanations to Carter. The rules of the sport cricket are used extensively to emphasize important moments in Carter's life and his journey through grief and anger. I--like a lot of United States citizens--do not have a very good knowledge of cricket either technically or in practice. Sports metaphors are often used in literature to parallel life challenges for a character but this only works when the reader has at least a basic knowledge of the sport in question from which to make the associations the author is weaving into the plot. In general I, personally, do not like a lot of sports-themed stories, although I understand their effectiveness in metaphor. They generally don't hold my interest and this could be one reason why I had trouble staying connected to Carter when his personal journey was interrupted so often by lengthy descriptions of cricket play and rules.
I loved the characters of both Carter and Mr. Bowles-Fitzpatrick, but found it hard to stay connected to them and their relationship when it was constantly being interrupted for cricket references or instruction. Pay Attention, Carter Jones jumps back and forth in tone from light and funny to deep and personal. The throughline for the story is supposed to be the cricket analogy. Pay Attention, Carter Jones is a good independent read for a middle grade reader who enjoys sports-themed fiction and/or who has some knowledge of the game of cricket, but I think it will be a hard sell to a reader who does not have these predispositions.
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The Butler entered Carter Jones's life on a really bad day. It was the first day of school and his mom was having a melt down. The jeep wouldn't start, the milk was bad and his little sisters were being "pains in the gluts". Suddenly the doorbell rang and as if by magic, the Butler appeared.
This is a charming story about trying to restore order into a chaotic life. While Carter Jones did everything in his power to resist the Butler. The Butler seemed steadfast and strong. The storytelling in centered around the basic concepts and vocabulary of cricket. I know nothing about cricket but found myself looking up videos and terms so I could more fully understand how he was using it. I have loved all of Gary D. Schmidt's books and this one was no exception.
This is a charming story about trying to restore order into a chaotic life. While Carter Jones did everything in his power to resist the Butler. The Butler seemed steadfast and strong. The storytelling in centered around the basic concepts and vocabulary of cricket. I know nothing about cricket but found myself looking up videos and terms so I could more fully understand how he was using it. I have loved all of Gary D. Schmidt's books and this one was no exception.