Trouble
Grade 7–10—Gary D. Schmidt's novel (Clarion, 2008) presents the story of an upper class New England family's privileged life colliding with violent prejudices against immigrant Cambodians after a tragic accident. Franklin is hit and killed by a pickup truck driven by Chay, a Cambodian student in Franklin's prep school. Chay is not sent to jail, and racial tensions are sparked. Franklin and his younger brother, Henry, had planned to climb Mt. Katahdin in Maine. Henry is determined to make the climb, and one morning the boy, his best friend, and a stray dog decide to hitchhike to the mountain and are picked up by Chay. Prejudice takes on a different face entirely as Chay's personal story develops, entwined with all three boys' growing understanding of their families, their town, and what really happened the night of the accident. Jason Culp's accomplished reading moves smoothly from a quiet and neutral narration to vivid vocal depictions of each character, complete with seamless accents. This gripping, adventure-filled journey of self discovery and exploration of themes such as discrimination and forgiveness will appeal to middle and high school students.—Jane P. Fenn, Corning-Painted Post West High School, NYCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.--This text refers to theAudio CDedition.