  | Pay attention, Carter Jones Author: Schmidt, Gary D. | |
| Price: $21.88 | ||
Summary:
Sixth-grader Carter must adjust to the unwelcome presence of a know-it-all butler who is determined to help him become a gentleman, and also to deal with burdens from the past.
| Accelerated Reader Information: Interest Level: MG Reading Level: 5.30 Points: 7.0 Quiz: 501634 | Reading Counts Information: Interest Level: 6-8 Reading Level: 5.50 Points: 12.0 Quiz: 75985 | |
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (+) (10/15/18)
School Library Journal (+) (11/01/18)
Booklist (+) (12/01/18)
The Hornbook (+) (00/01/19)
Full Text Reviews:
School Library Journal - 11/01/2018 Gr 4–8—Young Carter Jones opens the front door one morning to find an English butler on his doorstep. Sent to the Jones family by his late grandfather, Mr. Bowles-Fitzpatrick reforms the household with his wit, precision, and commitment to decorum. As Carter deals with his father's deployment, Mr. Bowles-Fitzpatrick also takes on the role of emotional caretaker and support for Carter. Together, they play cricket and learn that the rules of the game are also the rules for a healthy and happy life. Schmidt, author of the celebrated Wednesday Wars, strikes gold again with this emotionally complex character who learns to navigate change and disappointment, and, more important, how to receive help. Schmidt writes with a clear and compelling voice, and masterfully crafts Mr. Bowles-Fitzpatrick as an endearing family helper and friend with a Mary Poppins–like disposition. The use of cricket as a narrative tool to embolden Carter is clever and will surely peak young readers' interest in the sport. VERDICT A rich and nuanced middle grade novel that will appeal to readers who feel a little on the outskirts.—Katherine Hickey, Metropolitan Library System, Oklahoma City - Copyright 2018 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.
Booklist - 12/01/2018 *Starred Review* Pandemonium reigns in the Jones household (mother, son, three younger daughters, and one excitable dog) on the first day of school at 7:15 a.m., when 12-year-old Carter answers the doorbell and meets the Butler. This portly Englishman immediately begins to put things right, offering his services to Mrs. Jones and explaining that he was “willed” to the family by his late employer, the children’s grandfather. Their father is an army captain deployed in Germany. Initially wary of the Butler, Carter resists his quiet authority, but slowly begins to trust the man, who teaches him to drive the Bentley, organizes a wildly popular cricket match at his middle school, and offers him implicit guidance when he needs it most. The Butler is a distinctive character with dry wit and an unshakable sense of purpose. While comparisons with Mary Poppins may be inevitable, the only magic here is the everyday kind brought about by broad understanding, sensible actions, and uncommon courtesy applied over a period of time. Not so much an unreliable narrator as an evasive one, Carter has things on his mind that initially he’s not ready to deal with, much less communicate to others. Yet his engaging narrative leads readers through a broad range of emotions in this beautifully written, often amusing, and ultimately moving novel. - Copyright 2018 Booklist.
