Big Man and the Burn-Out

by Clayton Bess

Long ago abandoned by his mother who could not tolerate farm life, young Jess works out an uneasy alliance with his unyielding grandmother.

197 pages, Library Binding

First published October 1, 1985

About the author

Clayton Bess, the author of several books for young readers, has lived for extended periods on both coasts of the United States, in Africa, and in Latin America. Much of his writing comes out of the period he lived and traveled in Africa, where he worked as a Peace Corps volunteer teacher in Liberia. His travels and experiences, the stories he gathered, and the people he came to know all give his work authenticity and true flavor.

Reviews

[Catsalive · Rating 2 out of 5]

A fairly dreary & enervating tale that I read for a challenge. Populated by unlikable, ungrateful children & unhelpful adults, but it had the odd nice moment. While the boys, Jess & Meechum, have certainly had their trials, I still couldn't raise much sympathy for them, particularly Jess. His grandmother is doing her best to raise him after his mother dumped him with her, & that useless husband of hers, Sid, is no help at all. Fair enough, she didn't want Sid interfering, but a few constructive suggestions along the way wouldn't have hurt - instead, he's just great pals with the boy & then threatens to leave when Hannah doesn't deal with Jess the way Sid would like. Pah!

There's the odd uplifting scene but they petered out fairly quickly. I mostly found it quite an irritating read.

(Char: Jesse Judd, Hannah & Sid Roan, Lee Meechum, Bill Goodban. Set: Oklahoma.)

[Catherine Mustread · Rating 3 out of 5]

Farm life, junior high, science projects and school drop outs.