“Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy” by Gary D. Schmidt

“…the soft new day shrugged itself awake, tried on amethyst and lavender for a while, and finally decided on a pale yellow.”

Such is the rich text of this short, but dense novel. It paints a deep picture of a real time and place, of a real event in America’s past. The story is one of the many shameful ones in our history, one where the lives of blacks are destroyed by their white neighbors, but the events of the story seem to take a back seat to the internal journey of the lead character, Turner Buckminster and the stunning setting of New England in 1912. The son of a new minister in Phippsburg, Maine, he struggles with his identity as a “minister’s son”. Making friends with Lizzie Griffin, a resident of nearby Malaga Island, puts him and his family at odds with a town determined to oust the black community of the island and pursue financial dreams of creating a tourist spot for vacationers. Many of the characters have unexpected twists and turns, but the motivation for choices is often left unexplored. Events simply happen, with little through-line to connect them. More lasting, for me, were the symbolic descriptions of the landscape and the ever-changing sea. Whales, for instance, become the metaphor for strength and understanding. As an avid kayaker myself, I felt a strong kinship with Turner as he began to find solace in those jewel-toned waters. This looks like a young adult novel (with 13 year-old protagonists) and may not appeal to older readers, but I think that the book will be most appreciated by those who have “lived a little” and can see the subtleties woven throughout this work. It is the best, I think, of Mr. Schmidt’s books, and received both the Newbery and Printz honors. For thoughtful readers, it is definitely a worthwhile read.