The Journey of Little Charlie (Scholastic Gold)

One of the things I've always loved about Christopher Paul Curtis's books is the way he brings his characters to life. Before I was two chapters into the book, Little Charlie was feeling awfully real to me. The use of dialect though challenging to read at first added to the vision in my mind of a large-in-stature, but rather naive in experience, twelve-year-old boy. But as Little Charlie faces the loss of his father, the loss of his home, and being forced into working with a man he's heard nothing but evil about, his naivety gets left behind. Although not as fast as I wanted it to. One of the things that happens to me when I really start to care about a character, is that I want to talk to them and give them advice. That's impossible of course, but it makes the book all the more compelling as I fly through the pages wanting to know what happens next. Charlie's experiences traveling with Cap'n Buck slowly open his eyes to the true purposes of their trip and he's forced to decide just what he's going to do about it. As with all of Curtis's books, this one leaves the reader thinking about his/her own journey and the choices we make along the way. And frankly the book is a powerful reminder of just what great evil exists in the form of slavery. There were a few things that were harder to read, but being historical couldn't be left out if the story was to be as potent as it had the power to be. Curtis has written another powerful tale of a young man forced to grow into manhood too soon. I'd definitely put this on my favorites list. This is also bound to be a book strongly in contention for the Newbery Medal in a year's time.

The story of Little Charlie Bobo, age 12, is horrifying, touching, and ultimately redemptive. How a naive child can see what he sees and learn what he learns without either breaking into shreds or hardening into a brick is a testimony to his own natural decency and strength. While reading The Journey of Little Charlie, I kept making excuses to quit whatever else I was doing and come back to this book to find out what would happen next. Charlie, though raised in a poor, ignorant, racist home, is filled will deep-down sweetness that can't help but rise to the top. He's a finely developed character, and all the other characters are fascinating, too, whether they're good or bad as people. I had no problem with the dialect, which I thought was carefully done and which helped pull me into the story right away. I'll never understand the mentality that tried to defend slavery or slave-catching, but I loved this book.

Bad luck seems to follow Little Charlie wherever he goes. After losing his father in s freak accident, an overseer from a nearby plantation forces Little Charlie to accompany him on a job. On the journey, Little Charlie is confronted with his own feelings about slavery and humanity. Little Charlie is a gentle giant; a memorable character with a heart of gold whose voice rings true to the story. I recommend this book to anyone with an interest in historical fiction. It is one thing to read about the horrors of slavery in a text book, while it is another thing entirely to experience those horrors through the eyes of a fictional character... especially through the eyes of a child. Due to the difficulty if the content and some graphic violence (which is appropriate to the story, but difficult to read nonetheless), I would recommend this book for older students. Maybe 7th grade or older.

I am on the record as being a huge fan of Curtis's Buxton books --from Elijah of Buxton (was on the Newbery Committee that gave it an honor) to Madman of Piney Woods (reviewed elsewhere). This one is as terrific as the others. While the other two books featured black male protagonists in this one Curtis is featuring a young white male, the child of poor white pre-Civil War sharecroppers. After horrific events that leave him without family, Little Charlie Bobo (actually a twelve-year-old the size of an adult man) is forced to go with the local plantation's overseer to capture some runaway enslaved people. Little Charlie's voice and dialect is spot-on for a person of his class and situation; he has never been to school and can't read. That is, spot-on, as much as I can tell --- I'm certainly no expert on what it would sound like. Some have referenced Twain which makes sense as he certainly did use such dialog himself in his writing. Some have complained that it was challenging to read -- I found it quite easy. Curtis is able to give you such a great sense of his boy protagonists -- they are always a tad "fragile", pensive, and so so good at heart. From the start Little Charlie is good, everything that happens early on makes that very clear. What he is also is racist, prejudiced, and extremely ignorant. His journey with the evil slave catcher is one of learning, growing, and changing --- what we would wish for all who are as limited in early experience as Charlie is. There are some very dark moments in this book, extraordinary cruelty and brutality, yet all presented in a way that older children can definitely manage --- this is very much a middle grade book. I noticed someone writing that she planned to read it aloud to her 5th graders. I would be cautious with this, be mindful of the listeners --- who they are, their own lives, and how this could make them feel. I see it as for those ready for this harsh history lesson, say 6th, 7th, and 8th graders. There are also some warm moments, Curtis's trademark humor, and description. I feel that I can recognize his style when he describes the slave catcher's rankness, a train ride for a boy who has never been on one, and the pain of enslaved people being retaken and separated. Most of all, there is the strength and power of the Canadians --- whites and blacks together. This feels like a book of the moment, a #blacklivesmatter for the 19th century and today. Outstanding.