Title: Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy
Author: Gary D. Schmidt Copyright Date: 2004
Genre: Historical Fiction Pages of Book: 217 Pages
Publisher: Laurel-Leaf Reading Level: Ages 12+
Summary: Turner Buckminster and his parents move to a small town called Phippsburg, Maine where his father has just been hired as the new minister for the First Congregational Church. While his parents are warmly accepted, Turner is not. He is embarrassed when he is not good at the kind of baseball they play and isn’t brave enough to jump off the cliffs into the sea waves with the other boys. The boys, lead by Willis Hurd, tease and torment him. He is also reprimanded almost constantly by his father when nosey townspeople report everything he does as “not what you expect from the minister’s boy.” He is sentenced to go every day to read to and play the organ for old Mrs. Cobb, who is especially critical of him, as payment for hitting her fence with a rock. The only kind friend in the town is old Mrs. Hurd, who is accused of being insane and eventually committed to an asylum for the feeble minded so that her house can be sold. Turner spends his time along the seashore and meets Lizzy, a Negro girl that lives on the island of Magala—a community of former slaves and other outcasts. The people of Phippsburg are very prejudiced against the people on this island and are plotting to find ways to remove them and turn the island into a tourist attraction. Turner is forbidden to have anything to do with the island, but keeps meeting Lizzy and develops a very strong and loyal friendship with her. His father is persuaded by the rich and powerful members of his congregation to join the fight against the people on Magala and in doing so loses the respect of his family. A key event in Turner’s life is when Lizzy is hurt and while trying to row her back to the island, they drift out into the sea and are surrounded by whales. Turner senses that the whales know something important. Surprisingly to everyone, Mrs. Cobb dies and leaves her house to Turner. Eventually the townspeople banish the residents of Magala to leave the island. One family floats their home down the coast looking for someplace to live. The others, including Lizzy, are force to go to the insane asylum. The homes on the island are then burned and their cemetery is dug up and the corpses put into 5 coffins and moved by the asylum. When Turner goes to the asylum to try to rescue her, he is told she has died after just a few days there. When Turner is faced with threats from the town leaders, his father finally realizes he has been wrong to side with them and defends his son, resulting in an accident that causes his death. The town wants nothing more than to have Turner and his mother leave and try to buy them out, but Turner refuses to sell. The plan the townspeople made to invest in tourist property backfires and the most powerful man behind it skips town with all their money. The Hurds are left penniless and are kindly invited to move in with Turner and his mother. Willis and Turner turn from being enemies to being friends, and work together to help support their families. Turner goes again out in the sea and has another encounter with the whales. He then learns that the secret the whales know.
Reaction: I thought this book was very thought provoking. When I read in the author’s notes that the tragic events of Magala Island actually happened I was surprised and sad about the kind of hatred that caused just horrible things to happen. The language and imagery of the book were sometimes hard for me to follow, making it a more difficult book to read.
Problems: The problem of prejudice is very prevalent through this story. The people allow their hatred of other races to justify terrible actions. Also the struggle of Turner to fit in with a new community is a big part of the book.
Recommendations: I would recommend this book to Jr. High or High School age students. I think the language and Biblical and historical references are too difficult for elementary age students to follow.
No comments:
Post a Comment