PAY ATTENTION CARTER JONES by Gary D. Schmidt. New York: Clarion Books, 2019. 217p. ISBN 978-0544790858 hc. $16.99     Gr. 4-6     JUV

Gary D. Schmidt, who wrote WEDNESDAY WARS, a 2008 Newbery Honor winner, and ORBITING JUPITER, which should have won a Newbery Award (in my opinion), scores again with Carter Jones taking center stage in this touching and humorous tale of a family unraveling at the seams.  Carter's adventure begins when he opens the front door to find an English butler, Mr. Bowles-Fitzpatrick, who was sent to his family by his deceased grandfather.  It's almost like the beginning of Mary Poppins, except this butler is an expert at the game of cricket; besides being "practically perfect" at household tasks.  The family is dealing with the death of Carter's brother, his dad's deployment to Germany, and the everyday stresses of school and home.  The butler manages to bring the neighborhood together with the formation of a cricket team by teaching the game from the ground up.  He also teaches readers about the game as he mends relationships between family and friends.  This story will make you laugh on one page and cry on the next.  Schmidt is known for skillfully writing about the complexity of relationships, especially for middle school and teen audiences.
Lynette Suckow, Superiorland Preview Center, Marquette, MI