Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy

Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy

By Gary D. Schmidt

Published by Clarion Books (2004)

Reading Level: Ages 12-14 years

Pages: 224

Genre: Historical Fiction

Summary: Turner Buckminster's father is the new minister of Phippsburg, Main. Turner hates it because they dont play baseball correctly and he gets in trouble for circumstances. He hits away by going to a certain spot on the coast where he meets an African American girl named Lizzie Bright from Malaga Island. Phippsburg wants to get rid of the inhabitants of Malaga Island to generate better tourism. minister Buckminster was being used by the town Turner was forbidden from seeing Lizzie and from going to Malaga, but he saw her anyway and she taught him to hit. She gets injured and Turner tries to row her back to Malaga, but it is hard and he looks a whale in the eye. Then he only sees Lizzie when she comes to hear him play the organ to Mrs. Cobb. Mrs. Hurd is sent to an asylum so the town could use her property. When Mrs. cobb dies she leaves her home to Turner who refused to give it to the town, but wants to give it to Lizzie. The inhabitants of Malaga start floating with their houses. The remainder are sent to an asylum including Lizzie. The remaining houses are burned. The sheriff drops the minister off a cliff and he eventually dies. Turner and his mom move into Mrs. Cobb's house and stop going to church. The town hates them turner tries to retrieve Lizzie, but she died. The town doesn't build the hotels and the Hurd family ends up poor. The Buckminster's take them in and turner and the Hurd boy Willis work together with lobsters. Turner rose out past Malaga Island and touches a whale.

My reaction: Gary Schmidt is now one of my favorite authors. the first book by him that I read is The Wednesday wars. and that immediately went on my list of favorites. this book was beautiful. and it impacted how I feel about conformity and racism (even though I have never liked racism, now I dislike it even more). I thought it was a story beautifully told.

Potential Problems: Violence, racism, some language

Recommendations: I would recommended this to anyone over the age of 8.