JANUARY 2018 - AudioFile
Narrator Michael Crouch’s excellent delivery of dialect conveys the 1850s world of Little Charlie Bobo, the 12-year-old son of a sharecropper. Charlie is recovering from the shock of his father’s accidental death when Cap’n Buck, overseer of the plantation, announces the boy must fulfill an old debt. Crouch portrays Charlie’s innocence and his horror at being thrust into kidnapping an enslaved family that has escaped to freedom in Canada. Crouch’s depiction of Cap’n Buck’s menace, callousness, and cruelty is chilling. It seems even worse when juxtaposed with the tenderness of the family he entraps. Both set the tone for Charlie’s burgeoning understanding and courageous action to undo the evil of Cap’n Buck. An author’s note describes Curtis’s writing process and the story’s origins. S.W. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine
The New York Times Book Review - Catherine Hong
Curtis's books occupy that all too rare space in middle grade lit; they're school curriculum standbys that are also crowd pleasers…Curtis's ninth novel is among his most suspenseful…Readers who like their books packed with thrills will find plenty of action…Curtis doesn't sugarcoat the horrors of the time…But [he] is also a master at shifting tones—and so for every nail-biting moment, there's a note of goofy joy or slapstick humor…Little Charlie is a keeper.
From the Publisher
"Curtis's books occupy that all too rare space in middle grade lit; they're school curriculum standbys that are also crowd pleasers... Curtis's ninth novel is among his most suspenseful... Curtis is also a master at shifting tones -- and so for every nail-biting moment, there's a note of goofy joy or slapstick humor... 'Little Charlie' is a keeper: Raised in poverty, ignorance, and racism, Charlie develops his own moral compass -- and becomes brave enough to act on it." -- New York Times Book Review
* "Curtis portrays Charlie as a product of his white Southern upbringing and values, skillfully conveying how his widening view of the world leads to a change in his thinking. Written in persuasive dialect and piloted by a hero who finds the courage to do what he knows is right, Curtis's unsparing novel pulls no punches as it illuminates an ugly chapter of American history." -- Publishers Weekly, starred review
* "Newbery winner Curtis once again successfully draws on the stories about enslaved people who found freedom in Canada... A characteristically lively and complex addition to the historical fiction of the era from Curtis." -- Kirkus Reviews, starred review
* "A thought-provoking book from a master storyteller." -- School Library Journal, starred review
* "Curtis's ability to intertwine humor and tragedy, change pacing effectively, and find hope in the direst of circumstances is masterful... Readers will be riveted by the conclusion... if they can see the words through their tears." -- The Horn Book, starred review
* "This is an old story demanding to be told a new way, and master storyteller Curtis proves just the one to do it." -- Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, starred review
"Ultimately inspiring, but never simplistic, this should spark plenty of discussion." -- Booklist
"Will resonate with readers for its timeless themes of justice, self-awareness and questions of right and wrong... modern parallels abound, offering a clear gateway for discussions that are painfully important today." -- BookPage
"This is a compelling and ugly story for middle-grade readers told with genuine care... Christopher Paul Curtis does it again." -- Historical Novel Society
"The latest marvelous novel of the African-American experience from acclaimed author Christopher Paul Curtis" -- The Buffalo News
JANUARY 2018 - AudioFile
Narrator Michael Crouch’s excellent delivery of dialect conveys the 1850s world of Little Charlie Bobo, the 12-year-old son of a sharecropper. Charlie is recovering from the shock of his father’s accidental death when Cap’n Buck, overseer of the plantation, announces the boy must fulfill an old debt. Crouch portrays Charlie’s innocence and his horror at being thrust into kidnapping an enslaved family that has escaped to freedom in Canada. Crouch’s depiction of Cap’n Buck’s menace, callousness, and cruelty is chilling. It seems even worse when juxtaposed with the tenderness of the family he entraps. Both set the tone for Charlie’s burgeoning understanding and courageous action to undo the evil of Cap’n Buck. An author’s note describes Curtis’s writing process and the story’s origins. S.W. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
★ 2017-11-13
A white sharecroppers' son finds himself on a mission to recapture a family that has escaped slavery.A few weeks after the death of Little Charlie Bobo's father, Cap'n Buck, the overseer of the plantation on which they farm, tells the 12-year-old and his ma that the elder Charlie Bobo had taken a down payment on a job to recover lost property. In this way, Charlie becomes a partner with a man known for his cruelty on a mission to track enslaved people. When Cap'n Buck finds the family he is looking for, he discovers the son of the family, Sylvanus Demarest, is attending school in Canada, and their mission becomes an international kidnapping. Newbery winner Curtis once again successfully draws on the stories about enslaved people who found freedom in Canada; the pursuit of Sylvanus Demarest is based on an actual incident. By seeing the story through the eyes of a poor white boy and a white overseer, readers confront how so many were connected by slavery. Curtis demonstrates in dramatic fashion how much the formerly enslaved valued their freedom and what they were willing to do to help one of their own remain free. The narrative is briskly paced, and both Little Charlie and Sylvanus are compelling characters. The Southern whites speak in dialect, and they refer to black people with the offensive term "darkie," both authentic to the 1858 setting. A characteristically lively and complex addition to the historical fiction of the era from Curtis. (author's note) (Historical fiction. 10-14)
