Trouble

Mr. Schmidt writes beautiful books, and while some themes seem to trickle through all the books, all of his books are hugely different. The ability of an author to be that versatile and sensitive and creative is impressive. There are a lot of things to like about this book and some great things to discuss, with say a class or a youth reading group. I love the relationships that Schmidt creates, the relationship between Louisa and Henry, I am touched by the friendship between Sanborn and Henry, even Henry's relationships to his parents is so real. This book is probably for the 14 and 15 year olds. This should get a Newberry nom. I highly recommend this book!

plus SO much more. I can't begin to explain how much I adore this book. I thought Wednesday Wars was near-perfect, but having just finished Trouble, I don't know which one I like better. Schmidt is an amazingly gifted writer. His imagery is so evocative, yet tangible. His characters are accessible, likeable and still complex enough to be real. I am a thirty-something mother of three and found this book to be an engaging, believable story of a boy trying to make sense of his life when his perfect New England, prep school world comes crashing down around him. Schmidt draws racial and cultural prejudices into question by encouraging the reader to see the human story behind someone labeled as "Other" (i.e. "not like me/us"). And he deftly explores the themes of redemption, forgiveness, and how we deal with grief both collectively and personally. For me, this book is the young adult version of Cry the Beloved Country. This is a must-read for young adults and adults. It will make you laugh, cry, and cheer for what is decent and good in human beings. My favorite line from the book: "And so Henry know something else, too. The world is Trouble . . . and Grace. That is all there is."

" 'It smells like you have a dog in here,' he said. 'A wet dog.' His voice was tight. "It did not seem useful to Henry to lie about this. "Especially since the dog came around the corner of the island and sat down, her head cocked off to the side so that the ear with the large missing piece stuck out. "Now Henry's father's face grew tight, too. " 'Get the dog out of here.' he said. " 'I just saved her from drowning in the cove.' " 'That was a mistake. You don't go looking for Trouble, Henry...Get away.' "The last part was directed not at Henry but at the dog, who had come to sniff Henry's father to see if he might be at all interesting. " 'Get away,' he said again. 'Black dog, get away.' "The dog lifted up a paw. "And Henry's father kicked her about as hard as a slippered foot can kick. Enough to skid her across the quarried stone floor. "She did not cry out. When she stopped skidding, she turned on her back, put her feet up in the air, and showed her belly. " 'Why did you ever bring that dog in here?' said Henry's father. 'Look at her. Who would want a black dog like that? Lying there, all beat up. Bleeding. Pieces of her missing.' He stopped. He leaned against the kitchen island and put his hands across his eyes. 'Pieces of her missing,' he said again. His body trembled, slowly, and then a little bit more, and a little more, like a building that is beginning to feel the earthquake starting under its foundations. "Then his mouth opened, and though no sound came out, his silent howls filled the kitchen. "Henry held his father. Tight. Very tight. He felt the black dog come back to them. He felt his father reach down to scratch behind her chipped ear. He saw the dog roll her face with pleasure against his father's untied robe -- and hoped that his father would not see the pus and blood that she left there. "They stood, the three of them, together in the kitchen, and two things happened. "First, Black Dog had a home and a name. "Second, the telephone rang. It was the hospital." Set in the 1980s, TROUBLE is the story of Henry Smith, a middle school student growing up on the northern coast of Massachusetts in a large house which has been inhabited by his ancestors for 300 years. Henry's older brother, Franklin, and his sister, Louisa, both attend Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Preparatory High School in Blythbury-by-the-Sea, the town that has grown up around their ancestral home. Big brother Franklin is the golden boy, popular and athletic, who can do no wrong -- or at least that is how it seems at first glance. As he did with THE WEDNESDAY WARS, my favorite children's book of 2007, Gary Schmidt creates an extraordinary work of historical fiction that melds zany humor with unfathomable, brutal history with the intricacies of growing up in a family. As with THE WEDNESDAY WARS, he incorporates classical literature. (In THE WEDNESDAY WARS Holling Hoodhood was dealing with Shakespeare; here Henry is wrestling with Chaucer.) Furthermore, in both books ther

This is yet another wonderful work from a proven writer. While most people will market it as a book for young adults, a 50-something male like me found it to be a wonderful read. It's a book full of enough twists and turns to keep you turning the pages until you reach its remarkable conclusion. There's more than a fair bit of Trouble here, but also beautiful glimpses of Hope and Glory.