A review by couillac
The Madman of Piney Woods by Christopher Paul Curtis

4.0

I waited quite awhile to compose my thoughts about this one because I felt like a needed some time to wrap my head around it. Now that I've also had the chance to discuss it with our Mock Newbery group, I feel like I have a better sense of what I loved about it. Benji and Red are wonderful characters, distinctive and authentically childish in spite of their big dreams and old-fashioned language. Each has multiple layers of interests and abilities, and the people around them are similarly complex, particularly the Madman and Red's grandmother. Curtis presents the historical setting and some truly horrific episodes in history in a way that is accessible to and respectful of a child audience, and the themes of healing, redemption, and prejudice are well-integrated and resist providing easy answers. In addition to having broad appeal for a wide range of readers, it's the best kind of historical fiction novel: emotionally engaging, illuminating, and well-paced.