Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy

Author: Gary D. Schmidt
Copyright Date: 2004
Publisher: Clarion Books
Number of Pages: 217
Reading Level: Ages 13 & Up
Genre: Historical Fiction

Summary

Turner Buckminster is the son of the new minister in Phippsburg, a small town in Maine. At first Turner doesn't fit in with nay of the boys in town, they often make fun of him, and he's sometimes considered an "embarrassment" to his father. During one of his adventures, he meets Lizzie Bright Griffin, a black girl who lives on Malaga Island. They become fast friends, and once this is found out Turner once again embarrasses his father. Deacon Hurd and other church leaders want to move all of the people, Lizzie and her people, off of the island so they can use it for business/tourist purposes. Turner fights to keep them on the island.

A little earlier in the story when Turner gets in trouble, his parents make him play the organ for Mrs. Cobbs at her house, and eventually Lizzie starts coming with him. Mrs. Cobbs eventually dies, and since she has no family she leaves her inheritance--her house--to Turner. The church leaders are very angry with this and tell Turner's father that they should sell the house for the good of the town; he refuses. The church leaders go to Mrs. Cobbs house, trick Turner into going there, strap him in an upstairs room, and then head to Malaga island to get everyone out of there. Turner escapes and heads to the shore so he can get to the island and try to save Lizzie and who's left of her family and friends. The police officer tries to stop him, but Turner's dad comes and tries to help him out. Unfortunately, the sheriff pushes Reverend Buckminster (Turner's dad) off the cliff. He suffers many injuries and eventually dies. There are many other things that happen, but in the end Turner realizes that "there is nothing in the world more beautiful and more wonderful in all its evolved forms than two souls who look at each other straight on. And there is nothing more woeful and soul-saddening than when they are parted." Turner saw that emotion in the eye of his father before he fell off the cliff, and he saw it in the eyes of the whales he saw out at sea.

Reaction

This book was really sad and sometimes hard to read just because of the racism and the awful things that happen, however I really enjoyed this book. It is very well written and the message behind it is absolutely powerful.

Recommendations

This book is definitely for older kids. I would say this book would be fine for most middle-school aged children. Any younger than that would not be good. I would recommend people read this book though, because it contains a really good message.

Problems/Conflicts

There are a lot of problems in this book, and some really mature themes. There's racism, some violence (Turner gets in fights sometimes), Turner's dad is killed, both Lizzie and her grandfather die, and for the most part it's the adults that are being racist and are trying to 'hurt' other people.