The Trouble with Jeremy Chance
by George Harrar
"January 1, 1919, wasn’t much different than any other day." So
begins Jeremy "T stands for Trouble" Chance’s story of a year that
would be very memorable. Things start out with the same routine as
December just ended: waking to the clomp of Pa’s boot on the stairs,
exploring around Shakers’ Hill, talking to old Mr. Cutter next door
about the Civil War, and thinking about Davey, expected home soon from
fighting in World War I. But when a shiny green Stutz Bearcat pulls up
outside, the year takes a definite turn.
The appearance of the Bearcat leads to a dispute over a black walnut
tree. Jeremy’s father won’t speak to Mr. Cutter and builds an ugly
"spite fence" to show just how mad he is. The troubles grow bigger when
Jeremy says he thinks Pa is wrong. And they get bigger still when
Jeremy decides now might be a good time to run away to Boston to meet
Davey’s ship.
George Harrar’s second book for young readers brings a bit of Tom
Sawyer to New England. In a rollicking plot that rises to an
unexpected—and historically accurate—climax on the streets of Boston,
Jeremy learns all about responding to trouble.
George Harrar
Author's Bio:George Harrar is the author of Parents Wanted, winner of the Milkweed Prize for Children's Literature in 2001. He lives in Wayland, Massachusetts.
Awards:Bank Street College of Education Best Children’s Books, 2004 Disney Adventures Magazine, Finalist, 2004, for Historical Fiction Quotes:"Harrar expresses Jeremy's awe and curiosity as he sneaks a ride on
a freight train, dines in a restaurant and witnesses a freakish
disaster ( a molasses factory explosion). In the end the protagonist
proves himself a hero, saving a man's life and regaining his father's
respect. Besides providing fast-paved action and a happy ending, this
colorful novel captures the mood of the nation at the start of an
exciting new era." --Publishers Weekly
"Harrar has done a good job of researching the history (an afterword
fills in more background), but it's the coming-of-age story that
provides the drama here, particularly the fierce anger and love that
are part of Jeremy's war with his dad. The son must break from his
father, but he finds himself using something he' s learned from Pa to
save someone's life." --Booklist
“The author has created a wonderful character to show us that parents
can also make mistakes, that they are not infallible. They too can be
unfair, but they can also be capable of saying that they are sorry. The
author has succeeded so well at getting inside the head of this bright
and likeable boy, whom we can identify with, laugh about, and remember
long after we have put the book down." --Midwest Book Review" --The Small Press Book Review
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Price:
$ 16.95
Binding: Cloth
Availability In Stock: 1
out of stock
Publisher: Milkweed Editions
Published: 2003
Size: 5.25 x 8
Genre: Fiction/Intermediate Fiction
Pages: 168
ISBN: 9781571316479
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