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by Gary D. Schmidt (2004)
Newbery Honor Book
This book tried hard to bring tears to my eyes, but I held out. Beautiful, but not cheerful.
A 13-yr old minister's son deals with racism, grumpy old lady neighbors, the "Eephus" pitch, clams, and falling in love with Lizzie Bright... based on historical events in 1912, the story follows Turner Buckminster as he attempts to adjust to a new town while dealing with being a minister's son. His only friend is Lizzie, a poor black girl living where the town wants to build hotels. But Turner learns to stand up for himself and his beliefs, even get a little rebellious, and his Dad, the bully, and the grumpy old lady sidle on over to his side as well. After a rough (emotionally) climax, the ends are tied up a little too neatly, but after all that is the end of the book. Thank goodness this isn't one of those "part 1 of 17 in the series" books...
A tough read for some students, but rewarding and much to discuss.
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