Pay Attention, Carter Jones (edició 2019)

Surprisingly refreshing juvenile fiction novel layered in grief but with a positive message. Shades of Mary Poppins. And cricket!!! Cricket rules dealt out to an American audience in nice, bite-sized chunks. ( )

Absolutely beautiful book. Read it in one sitting. ( )

I knew from the many starred reviews that I was likely to enjoy and his book & it did not disappoint. It's a quick sweet middle grade read that is charming & slightly heartbreaking & well written but slightly unbelievably out of the ordinary. All the while capturing the feelings of what it is like to grow up. I am happy to have a middle grade novel about teamwork & friendship without a subplot of bullying. ( )

I thought about Mary Poppins and Mr. Belvidere when reading this book. It was a quick read and the book sucked me right in!
Carter's life is splintering. His mom is beyond stressed trying to manage her four kids by herself. His dad is deployed. When a Butler shows up at his house ready to help the family, he gets this new figure in his life that helps hime navigate, stay focused, and heal. This British man has strong opinions of what it is to be a gentleman and soon Carter is getting some life lessons about that and internalizing them. ( )

Carter's late grandfather's butler shows up at Carter's door and stays to help the family. He teaches Carter and his schoolmates to play cricket as he teaches Carter life lessons along the way.

I loved this book! It was not what I expected. I laughed (Carter had a way of describing life.) I cried. I was enthralled. I couldn't put this down. I was so glad that Carter had an adult male to help him when trauma happened. I liked that the Butler knew what to say and when to say it. I also liked how The Butler got the whole school involved in cricket. It was fun to watch how they go from no knowledge to being able to play an abridged game. This book is the bomb! I would like to see Carter's story of his life in 20 years. ( )