I just finished this one on recommendation from my English teacher sister, and it was a great read. I felt a full range of emotions as I got to know each character and tried to put myself in each of their shoes.
This book tells the story of a young boy in 1904 Georgia whose family goes through some entertaining trauma as his grandfather does some things considered unconventional by the busy body town citizens. The view of young Will on the happenings in his life and family really demonstrate how kids learn and grow and interpret their experiences. I loved the curiosity and humanity about this story – so many times I laughed out loud and also thought to myself, “I remember feeling that way,” or, “I remember being curious about that!” The characters were so real and personable, I felt like I could relate to each one of them.
I loved how the author used language to give life to her characters. The dialogue of the characters is spelled phonetically to let the reader fully experience the culture and time period of the story. Sometimes I laughed at the spelling and phrasing of the script and I would find myself thinking in that southern drawl, using words in my mind like “dern” and “Cudn (cousin).”
This book was so fun to read – it’s an easy going story that will make you laugh over and over again.
