Author: Christopher Paul Curtis
Genre: historical fiction
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Rating:
.JPG) |
| Absolutely engrossing |
Summary: Benji wants nothing more than to be a newspaperman, to finally be good at something that will get him praise like his younger siblings get all the time. Red is trying to make it through each day with his angry, sometimes viscous, Irish grandmother. These two very different boys have never met but when a local competition brings them together they for a loose bond, a bond that will be cemented by a mysterious man in the forest.
My Opinion: While this is a companion to Elijah of Buxton, one need not read it first to understand the plot of this novel. I didn't. And I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Curtis has this almost conversational writing style so that even the sections narrated by Red, which were far more formal in their narrative style, felt like the narrator was sitting nearby talking to you. Pair that with a great plot, a sense of play but also of duty and respect for those who have gone before. While the conclusion is somewhat dark and serious, it's a great book for a middle grade reader and could spark some excellent discussion.
More Information: The Madman of Piney Woods releases September 30.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley
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