Disney
Adventures Magazine
Finalist, 2004, for Historical Fiction
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George Harrar: Books:
The Trouble with Jeremy Chance
A novel for ages 8 to 13
Published by Milkweed Editions,
2003
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In a small New England town at the close of World War I,
Jeremy "T. stands for Trouble" Chance is eagerly awaiting the
return of his brother, Davey, from the war. He distracts himself by exploring
the woods near his home and psyching himself up to leap from his second-story
window into the huge snowdrift below--a rite of passage for boys his age.
Jeremy lands in real trouble when he declares his father wrong in a less than
neighborly dispute with Mr. Cutter, who owns the land next door. Jeremy's
father is furious, and the rift between them gives the impetuous Jeremy all the
incentive he needs to run away to Boston, in hopes of meeting his brother's
ship. Chosen as the 2007 all-school read at Blake Middle School, Medfield, Massachusetts Bank Street College of Education Best Children’s Book 2004 list |
From Booklist
Grades 4-7. In 1919 in rural New Hampshire, 12-year-old Jeremy's mother has
died from the flu, and Jeremy is waiting for his older brother, Davey, to
return from the war in Europe. After infuriating his father by daring to say
that Pa has done wrong in a dispute with a neighbor, Jeremy takes off, jumping
on the train to Boston to meet the ship bringing his brother home. The city is
strange and exciting to the country kid, especially when he is caught in the
dangerous flood of molasses that explodes from a distillery. Harrar has done a
good job of researching the history (an afterword fills in more background),
but it's the coming-of-age story that provides the drama here, particularly the
fierce anger and love that are part of Jeremy's war with his dad. The son must
break from his father, but he finds himself using what's he's learned from Pa
to save someone's life.
From Publisher's Weekly
In 1919, as the "war to end all wars" draws to a close in Europe,
narrator Jeremy Chance, a 12-year-old in New Hampshire, experiences a battle
close to home, in the prolonged dispute between his father and their neighbor.
Siding with the neighbor earns Jeremy a whipping; hurt and angry, the boy runs
away ("Wasn't that one thing we fought the Germans for, to live
free?" Jeremy asks himself. "What good was living free if you
couldn't say what you thought?"). Jeremy heads to Boston, where his
brother, a soldier who has been on the front lines, will be arriving soon from
Europe. Delivered in Jeremy's crisp, personable voice, this timeless tale of
family conflict and coming of age also conveys the thrills of a country boy's
first trip to the city. Harrar (Parents Wanted) expresses Jeremy's awe and
curiosity as he sneaks a ride on a freight train, dines in a restaurant and
witnesses a freakish disaster (a molasses factory explosion). The boy makes
some mistakes (squandering all his money on one meal and stealing rum balls
from a vendor) before he hooks up with his brother (and with his repentant
father, too). In the end, the protagonist proves himself a hero, saving a man's
life and regaining his father's respect. Besides providing fast-paced action
and a happy ending, this colorful novel captures the mood of the nation at the
start of an exciting new era. Ages 8-13. (Sept.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business
Information.
From Children's Literature
When Jeremy does something, he never seems to do it in a half hearted way;
whether it is proving his courage or showing that he is well and truly upset with
you. It is 1919, and "The War to End all Wars" is, at long last,
over. Best of all, Jeremy's older brother Davey is on his way home from the
battlefields of France. Jeremy and his father have had a hard war too, for
Jeremy's mother was one of the many casualties of the Spanish influenza, having
caught the dread disease and dying so suddenly that nothing could be done to
save her. Just when things should be looking up, a terrible disagreement
develops between Jeremy's father and their next-door neighbor, elderly Mr.
Cutter. Because of the argument, Pa builds a "spite fence" and Jeremy
finds himself caught in the middle of these two men, both of whom he cares for
very much. Then his father goes too far. Pa accuses Jeremy of being
disrespectful, whips him, and forbids him to go and visit Mr. Cutter. Jeremy is
appalled at this unfair treatment. He knows something about Mr. Cutter and the
reason for his side of the argument, yet Pa won't let him speak. What follows
is an adventure to beat all adventures, and what is truly wonderful is that the
outrageous part of Jeremy's adventure is actually true and the author mentions
this fact in the Afterword. We are taken back into a time of great change and
able to see the huge disparity between the country life and the city. Though
Jeremy undoubtedly has a knack for getting into trouble and for making some
dubious decisions, he also has a big heart and great courage. He feels things
deeply and is a sensitive boy. The author has created a wonderful character to
show us that parents can also make mistakes, that they are not infallible. They
can be unfair, but also capable of saying they are sorry. The author has
succeeded well in getting inside the head of this bright and likeable boy, whom
we can identify with, laugh about, and remember long after we have put the book
down. 2003, Milkweed Editions, Ages 12 up. - Marya Jansen-Gruber