Read this Book

This is a picture of my alfresco office. I love it. I love its color. I love the softness that envelopes me as evening sneaks in behind me. It is so peaceful.

I love the fact that my Mac Air laptop can pick up the WiFi signal here.

I love gliding back and forth on my office chair as I work.

Yesterday, instead of working, I spent time in my office reading. I finished up a fabulous book that I think everybody should read. It is beautifully written and has several great themes and messages.

That book is the Newbery Honor Award book Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy by Gary Schmidt.

Even though this book is meant for grades 6-12, it is compelling and so well-written that it will keep any adult’s attention. (In fact, after I finished it, I wondered if sixth-graders are mature enough to appreciate the rich imagery in the book . . .)

Set in 1912, the book is about a boy who hates his new home and the new community that his family recently moved to. He feels friendless and alone. To top it off, he is also the son of the town’s new minister. He’s miserable and friendless until he met Lizzie Bright. She teaches him about the wonders of the Maine coast and he decides that he might be able to stand living in Maine. Just maybe.

Lizzie an African American. She lives on an island just off shore. The people living on the island accept him and make him feel welcome — far different than how he feels in the town on the mainland.

Wanting to boost their town’s economy, the town’s citizenry want to build a hotel to attract tourists. The townspeople are racist and don’t want the African Americans living on the island. The townspeople feel that tourists would not come if African Americans were living on the island. So, they plan to drive Lizzie’s people off the island. That’s when all sorts of bad things start happening.

This story is based on a real event. In fact, it is surprising how well the author weaved much of the details surrounding the island into his intriguing story.

This book would make a great birthday or Christmas gift for a grandchild. Or, it would be fun to read the book at the same time as a grandchild and discuss it together. You could discuss friendship, doing the ‘right’ thing, racism, how to treat people new to your neighborhood, lying, obedience, and a host of other topics.

Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy. Reading it would be a great way to wrap up the summer.

You can get a paperback copy of this book for $8.