Trouble (Audio CD) by Gary D. Schmidt - Reviews, Discussion, Bookclubs, Lists

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Freeburg Lunch Bunch: Trouble by Gary Schmidt	1	2	Nov 17, 2009 09:54AM

May 12, 2008

KT rated it:

(review of isbn 0545074592)

Read in May, 2008

I've never been a big fan of Gary D. Schmidt, so I hadn't really been expecting to like this book much. But I was immediately drawn in by his beautifully crafted prose and by the drama of the plot, which begins with a car accident and with the main character, Henry Smith, saving a drowning dog when he's out in his kayak on the sea.

Henry and his family seem to have the perfect life. They are well-to-do and live in a beautiful seaside home in Massachusetts that has been in their famil...more I've never been a big fan of Gary D. Schmidt, so I hadn't really been expecting to like this book much. But I was immediately drawn in by his beautifully crafted prose and by the drama of the plot, which begins with a car accident and with the main character, Henry Smith, saving a drowning dog when he's out in his kayak on the sea.

Henry and his family seem to have the perfect life. They are well-to-do and live in a beautiful seaside home in Massachusetts that has been in their family for generations. If you build your house far enough away from Trouble, Trouble will never find you," Henry's father is fond of saying. But Trouble does find Henry and his family, when his older brother, Franklin, is hit by a car when he's jogging by the side of the road at night. Franklin does not survive his injuries, and the last word he says to Henry is "Katahdin." Henry knows he means a mountain in Maine that Franklin had planned to climb, and that he insisted Henry didn't have the guts to climb. Henry takes it as both a command and a challenge, and decides to set off after school is out, with his best friend Sanborn, and the dog he rescued, whom he calls "Black Dog."

Hitchhiking with a dog, the two boys don't have any luck at getting a ride, until someone in a pick-up truck offers a ride. They jump at the chance for a ride, even though Henry quickly recognizes the driver as Chay Chouen, the teenage boy who hit and killed his brother. Much to the chagrin of most people in Henry's town, Chay had gotten off with what they had considered a slap on the wrist, something that had caused a lot of bad blood between the white citizens and the Cambodian immigrant community to which Chay belonged. Chay is obviously fighting a lot of demons of his own and over the course of their journey together, Henry and Chay come to understand each other a bit better.

The plot unfolds as a road trip, a survival story, and a, above all, journey to redemption. Schmidt's descriptive passages are stunning and memorable, whether he's writing of the beauty of the natural landscape or of the antics of Black Dog running rampage through a small-town Fourth of July parade as he chases a red balloon. The novel is rich in symbolism, as well; for example, the black dog itself as a portent of death and destruction. Trouble, indeed.(less)

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Feb 08, 2008

Elizabeth rated it:

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Read in February, 2008

You know, as a children’s librarian Gary Schmidt gives me no end of (for lack of a better word) trouble. As far as I can tell, he’s probably one of those authors that doesn’t like to begin writing a book by pigeonholing it for a single age group. If I'm right then it would explain why his oeuvre does a funny dance between children’s literature and young adult literature without the author ever fully belonging to one or the other. Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy? Children’s hi...more You know, as a children’s librarian Gary Schmidt gives me no end of (for lack of a better word) trouble. As far as I can tell, he’s probably one of those authors that doesn’t like to begin writing a book by pigeonholing it for a single age group. If I'm right then it would explain why his oeuvre does a funny dance between children’s literature and young adult literature without the author ever fully belonging to one or the other. Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy? Children’s historical fiction. The Wednesday Wars? Getting up there, but I think 13 and 14-year-olds would enjoy it. Trouble? Oh, Trouble. As I began reading this book I hoped that it would be for the same age range as The Wednesday Wars and that would be the end of it. Yet as I read on and got wrapped up in the story it became pretty clear that Schmidt has probably produced his most mature work of literature to date. Due to its content, this is the first Gary Schmidt book I have read that I would classify as “teen” through and through. Though it may have a tendency to be a little obvious in its overriding themes, Trouble is still a strong addition to the Gary D. Schmidt literary cannon. Just don’t seek it out in the children’s section of your local library.

Seventh grader Henry Smith is the younger brother of school hero Franklin Smith, and that’s pretty much all he’s ever been known for. Franklin’s the kind of guy who does very well on the school’s sports teams, and he is more than happy to make everyone around him aware of the fact. That is, until the accident. Grievously injured by a car while running, Franklin’s accident is the fault of one Chay Chouan. Chay’s the son Cambodian refugees and his arrest sparks racial tensions between the mostly white town of Blythbury-by-the-Sea and the mostly Cambodian town of Merton. In the meantime Henry is convinced that if he climbs Mt. Katahdin (the mountain he and Franklin were going to mount before the accident) he will be able to unlock something in himself. What he doesn’t count on are the companions who help him along his way, or the way in which he helps them.

Praising Schmidt’s descriptive talents sometimes makes a reviewer sound like a broken record. Particularly when you consider that he always describes things well. A person is described as empty, “as if the soul had left his body, and his body understood that it would never come back.” Or simply saying that a sky has turned “opal lavender.” There's a joy that comes from reading a writer that seems to get true pleasure out of writing beautiful things. Schmidt is one of those writers.

The book is split into two perspectives. For the most part you’re getting things just over Henry’s shoulder. Then, occasionally, at the end of a chapter will be an italicized section told from Chay’s. I’m a little embarrassed to admit that it took me 62 pages before I even figured out that these parts weren’t also via Henry. I guess in retrospect it’s obvious. Chay appears to be a difficult character to write, though. I mean, he’s perfect. There is almost no moment in this book when Chay doesn’t do the noble self-sacrificing thing when put to the test. If a saint’s car hit your brother, that saint couldn’t have a shinier halo than the one sitting on Chay Chouan’s head. In a way it’s a problem to have someone this good in a book. On the other hand, the moral implications inherent when a good man kills a guy with almost zero redeeming qualities are always interesting. Do you see why I keep saying that this is a teen novel? Henry, on the other hand, remains a rather opaque hero. While we often don’t know how Henry feels, seeing his actions rather than his thought process. This is both the blessing and the curse of getting all your info in the third person.

The supporting cast in this book was maybe one of the strongest Schmidt has ever produced. I couldn’t tell you the name or personality of the best friend in The Wednesday Wars but Henry’s best friend Sanborn may be in the running for “Best Gary D. Schmidt Character in a Supporting Role”. He’s the kind of friend who routinely grinds our hero’s nose into the dirt, but in an infinitely loving way that you can totally get behind. He serves as the voice of reason for the first half the book and the devil’s advocate for the second. Some might see this as a flaw, but I think it's completely in keeping with his character. Sanborn just likes to get Henry’s goat, even if that means taking the wrong side once in a while. And Schmidt really lets loose when he introduces the character of Black Dog. At one point Henry rescues from the sea a wounded dog of happy disposition and unprecedented destructive capabilities. I’m not much of a dog person myself, and Black Dog’s cheerful/wanton ruination of Henry’s house should probably have made me furious. But Schmidt knows how to make a character twist you around his/her/its little finger and for that I am glad.

I guess that if I have a problem with this novel it concerns the racial tensions in the book. First of all, I think that one of the hardest jobs a writer can undertake is to write racist characters that don’t think of themselves as racist. And Schmidt has an ear for just exactly the right tone of voice when it comes to something like an editorial in a newspaper. “Only those undeserving of the privileges of American citizenship could be responsible.” Pitch perfect. Yet this book plays its hand pretty openly. I would have liked a little more nuance or complexity concerning the whole white vs. Cambodian storyline. You'd have to be pretty dense to miss some of what Schmidt's saying here about white privilege.

For all that, it’s a Gary Schmidt novel through and through. A bit of a slow start in the first chapter, but then once Henry rescues the dog it’s off and running. With its mature subject matter (there’s a mention of a rape that plays directly into the history of one of the characters), beautiful writing, and unique characters, Trouble may have some difficulty finding the right audience. Yet for the teen that does choose to pick it up, there’s a lot here to ponder. A lovely book if a bit loose here and there.

Ages 14 and up.(less)

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5 comments

Nov 29, 2007

Molly rated it:

(review of isbn 0545074592)

bookshelves: authors-i-adore, books-i-wish-id-worked-on

Read in December, 2007

Gary Schmidt is probably my favorite children's writer after the venerable Katherine Paterson. I love both of them as phenomenal people, and admire them both madly as writers. So that's a disclaimer of sorts. That said--I didn't love TROUBLE as much as LIZZIE BRIGHT, and I didn't work on this book, so don't have quite the affection for it that I do for THE WEDNESDAY WARS. And I do see a few wee little problems in the narrative. BUT, they hardly matter b/c I think the heart of this book rises far...more

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Feb 21, 2009

Chris rated it:

(review of isbn 0545074592)

bookshelves: golden-sower-preview

I’ve found that some authors make me feel good about my own abilities as a writer. I read their work, and I think to myself, ‘OK, I’m relatively certain I’m at least in the same league with this and such author.’ No such luck with Gary Schmidt. This guy is an absolute pro.
Trouble is a gritty young adult novel about a teenager whose all-star older brother is struck and killed by a truck apparently driven by a young Cambodian refugee. In the aftermath of this tragedy, Henry s...more

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Aug 31, 2008

Heather rated it:

(review of isbn 0545074592)

bookshelves: teen-fiction, worth-rereading

Owns a copy — Read in September, 2008

recommended to Heather by: DaNae Leu--children's librarian extraordinaire
recommends it for: Age twelve and up

(This is my Amazon review) Another amazing coming-of-age novel from Schmidt, plus SO much more. I can't begin to explain how much I adore this book. I thought Wednesday Wars was near-perfect, but having just finished Trouble, I don't know which one I like better. Schmidt is an amazingly gifted writer. His imagery is so evocative, yet tangible. His characters are accessible, likeable and still complex enough to be real. I am a thirty-something mother of three daughters and found this book to be a...more

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Jul 08, 2008

Ryan rated it:

(review of isbn 0545074592)

Read in July, 2008

My favorite sentences from this book are:

"He could see pink and white blossoms in nearby orchards, and farther away, the brief yellow of the daffodils, so bright they looked as if Van Gogh had just come from them with his paint-brush still wet in his hand" (pg 108)

"A heart that has lost knows every other heart that has lost" (pg 197)

The first let me see what the author was describing, the second is just a lovely way to say what is true. And...more My favorite sentences from this book are:

"He could see pink and white blossoms in nearby orchards, and farther away, the brief yellow of the daffodils, so bright they looked as if Van Gogh had just come from them with his paint-brush still wet in his hand" (pg 108)

"A heart that has lost knows every other heart that has lost" (pg 197)

The first let me see what the author was describing, the second is just a lovely way to say what is true. And comparing a book to a painting is a wonderful way to provide a visual image of what can be difficult to describe. Van Gogh's bright colors can still look freshly painted, but he never paints light without darkness, and this book is about learning to live with the darkness that is Trouble and discovering the light that is Grace.

Henry's father often says 'If you build your house far away from Trouble then Trouble will never find you', only Henry quickly discovers this isn't true and is lost trying to learn to live with Trouble. I like that Trouble is a character in the book. The words describe an idyllic life with day prep schools and school colors and strong, normal young people who go to these schools and live in lovely houses with History. A place that Trouble can't possibly live. Only there is no light without dark and Henry is faced with the darkness very suddenly.

The book also reveals that the highly educated, who are supposed to be more enlightened, are as human as the working classes and have darker attitudes toward immigration than perhaps even they would like to accept. Its fine for Those people to live in That place away from us, but not to go to our schools or date our children. Or participate in Our Sports like crew. America is not a very welcoming place, though it is so often the destination of those without hope.

If the end was a bit too nicely resolved...well, I can forgive a lot when a book is this well done.

If I were planning curriculum, I would use this book to discuss the current immigration debate, to highlight that all of us are immigrants and those with the longest history of squatting on this soil often have the least to be proud about. (less)

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Feb 08, 2008

Carter rated it:

(review of isbn 0545074592)

bookshelves: guy-reads, young-adult

Read in April, 2008

First off, I really enjoyed this book. I want to make sure you know this before you read my comments.

The premise for the book was solid. Henry and Sanborn's relationship cracked me up. I loved picturing these two guys wail on each other throughout the book. There was an emotional resonance that I connected with from almost the first page, and it carried out to the very end. Also, there was a beautiful sense of imagery and I liked how it deepened the character's connections to the bo...more First off, I really enjoyed this book. I want to make sure you know this before you read my comments.

The premise for the book was solid. Henry and Sanborn's relationship cracked me up. I loved picturing these two guys wail on each other throughout the book. There was an emotional resonance that I connected with from almost the first page, and it carried out to the very end. Also, there was a beautiful sense of imagery and I liked how it deepened the character's connections to the book's overall emotional depth. However, "Trouble" was very frustrating for me as a reader as I think it could've been so much better.

I think the problem lies with character perspective. The book is told through Henry, but we get occasional glimpses of perspective from other characters. When the action is happening in the present, there is no problem. But what do you do with back story? Herein lies the problem with Chay. For his back story, we learn through italicized "memories" or impressions what happened to Chay. These come in at the end of various chapters. Not every chapter, mind you, but probably seven or eight times in a twenty-four chapter book. For some reason, and I'm not sure why this is, it just didn't work for me. The result for me, even with these cutaway moments, Chay still feels a little flat for me as a character. The same goes with Louisa, Franklin, and the rest of the bunch (with the exception of Sanborn).

At the core of the book is the issue of racism. Or maybe not at the core because the book seems more about grace and the relationships with others, but we get to this through the thread of racism. However, the way it's handled in the book seems a little two-dimensional for me. Everyone's either "good" or "bad," depending on their nationality (with the exception of a couple individuals). It's never quite clear why the people of Blythbury-by-the-Sea take such offense with the Cambodian refugees living in Menton. I can see what's going on with the fisherman in the small towns up north, but even then it seems too straight-forward.

Here's the thing though--I want to love this book. I loved "The Wednesday Wars" and I think it has the potential to be even better. Unfortunately, "Trouble" falls short. (less)

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Jan 16, 2008

Lazygal rated it:

(review of isbn 0618927662)

bookshelves: mount-bookpile-2008, old-reads

Read in March, 2008

I've spoken with my Middle School students about books like this, those written as contemporary fiction but set in the near-past (eg, my lifetime). Any book written/set in the 60s-90s isn't historical enough unless there's a real need to use the past (like, talking about the Vietnam War or Woodstock). Just "because" doesn't interest them. Kids without cellphones or video games or computers seem unreal, and they just don't care.

This book could have, very easily, been writt...more

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Jan 10, 2009

Michele rated it:

(review of isbn 0545074592)

Read in June, 2007

This book was a huge disappointment to me. I loved Lizzie Bright<i/> and The Wednesday Wars<i/>, so I had high expections for Schmidt's book. The ending was a bit predictable.

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Apr 19, 2008

Jamie rated it:

(review of isbn 0545074592)

bookshelves: 14-16, real-life

Read in April, 2008

This book went from 2 stars to 3 stars just because I still think that Gary Schmidt is a masterful writer.

But this story starts out sloooooow, with long descriptions of small New England towns, and houses, that seem quiety adult. There are changes of narrator that confuse, and overdone metaphors (the titular one, for example) and some clunky racists that seem to have no reason for being that way. And Henry figures everything out with no clues that I can see (we the reader to get clu...more

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Feb 18, 2008

Susan rated it:

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Read in January, 2008

I thought this was a powerhouse of a book, and it was one of the best books I've read in a long time. I wasn't quite sure where the author was taking me... but was very glad to have made the journey when I reached the end.

This was the first book I've read by Gary Schmidt, so I didn't have any expectations.

After you finish the book, go back and read the italic sections at the end of each chapter. they'll make a lot more sense. It's a bit early to say this... but I'm predic...more

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Mar 13, 2010

Hilary rated it:

(review of isbn 0545074592)

bookshelves: contemporary-fiction, grades-7-8, teen

Read in March, 2010

Henry's father has always said that if you build your house far enough away from trouble it won't find you. Henry always thought that their house had been built far enough away from trouble, but it turns out that he was wrong. Trouble manages to find them anyway, in the form of Chay, a Cambodian immigrant, who accidentally hits Henry's older brother, Franklin, with his pick up truck. Franklin, who has always seemed strong and invincible is now deteriorating in a coma in the hospital while Cha...more

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Nov 08, 2009

Mary rated it:

(review of isbn 0545074592)

bookshelves: high-school-books, middle-school-books

Read in November, 2009

Henry Smith is the youngest child in a privileged old New England family. His life up until middle school has been trouble-free, with his most difficult challenge being to live up to the formidable reputation of his lacrosse star older brother Franklin. His older sister Louisa is also a gifted athlete. However, when Franklin is hit by Chay Chuan's pickup truck as he runs one night, leaving him critically injured, trouble finds Henry in a variety of ways. He rescues a starving, beaten and drownin...more

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Dec 05, 2008

Wendy rated it:

(review of isbn 0545074592)

This is the first Schmidt I've read. I feel not quite smart because I wasn't crazy about it; there were definitely things I liked about this book, and things I think were done well (all the family interactions, in particular), but overall it felt heavy handed and often obvious. I disliked the ending scenes--I was freaking out on a medical level, and I also don't know how they could DO that to their parents after everything else, which made me grumpy about characterizations. I don't have any p...more

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Dec 05, 2008

Jean rated it:

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Read in December, 2008

This book has been sitting in my "to read" pile for months. I put off reading it because I knew when I started it that I would probably not be able to rest until I finished it. And I would not want it to end.
I think Gary Schmidt is one of the finest writers producing books for upper elementary/middle school readers today. I've loved reading his descriptions, have turned myself around in his plots and have ended each book with the urge to pick it up and start it all over agai...more

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May 26, 2009

Additeenlibrarian rated it:

(review of isbn 0545074592)

bookshelves: fiction

Read in May, 2009

I must admit, I love Gary D. Schmidt's writing style. Which made me biased to this book even before I read it. It turned out to be an amazing and original story.
Set in New England, where the families have been around for a long time, this story tells what happens when Chay, one of the recent Cambodian immigrants to this old-family/old-money area, hits Franklin, the son of one of the oldest families, with his truck. Societal trouble flares up and all of the anger, dislike, and resentment o...more

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Dec 11, 2008

Pat rated it:

(review of isbn 0545074592)

Read in December, 2008

PRE_READ BOOK REVIEW-Gary Schmidt has a completely different writing style than so many of the current YA's. It reminds me of books from the 1960's, wholesome, Americana. I really enjoyed Wednesday Wars, but I actually gave up on it once.

I recently heard NPR guest, Emma Walton Hamilton, author of "Raising Bookworms" say that her son lost interest in reading because his school literature was YA novels of angst. "Trouble" has conflict but so far it's the Leave-...more

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Dec 11, 2009

Samantha rated it:

(review of isbn 0618927662)

bookshelves: msba-nominees

Read in December, 2009

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Nov 10, 2008

Shari rated it:

(review of isbn 0545074592)

bookshelves: audio, ya

Read in November, 2008

Whenever I read Gary D. Schmidt, I wonder if kids will appreciate his books as much as adults seem to. His stories are so complex and told with such rich language that I foolishly assume that kids will not appreciate the detail and skill that go into Schmidt’s writing. But Schmidt is able to create characters that young readers can easily relate to through humor, strife and an emerging sense of hope.

Set in coastal Massachusetts, Trouble finds the son of a prominent family facin...more

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Aug 11, 2009

Susan P rated it:

(review of isbn 0545074592)

bookshelves: audio-books, potential-booktalks, ya-fiction

Read in August, 2009

I had been wanting to read this one for a long time, and was finally able to get ahold of the BD. Well worth the wait! While out running one day, Henry's older brother, Franklin, is hit by a car and killed. Henry idolized Franklin, as did their entire town. The driver of the car is a Cambodian immigrant, and student at the same school that Henry and Franklin attend. Their community is already opposed to the immigrants, and this accident doesn't help the racial tensions at all.

He...more

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