Moving Mama to Town

by Ronder Thomas Young

Freddy James Johnson becomes the man of the family when his daddy Big Kenny runs off. Freddy James knows he must keep his family together, and moves his Mama and little brother Kenneth Lee to town. He soon gets a job at Fenton Calhoun's saloon and rents rooms for his family from Miss Precious Doolittle. As the days go by, Freddy James gains strength by working hard and learning from the people he meets. He'll need that strength as he faces a challenge that will change his life forever.

Genres: Childrens

224 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1997

Reviews

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very complex book about a boy growing up and learning not to abandon his family (like his father did) when problems come up. Beautifully written book.

[Izaiah R · Rating 4 out of 5]

Goodreads project
I like this book Moving Mama to Town by Ronder Thomas Young and I gave it a four out of five stars. First, I like how they showed the theme in this book because of how Freddy had to step up from his dads absence. One example of the theme is when Freddy told his mom, “ I got some money”(Ronder Thomas Young 176) showing to her that he can now take more responsibility after the absence of his dad. Secondly, I also like how they showed irony in this story and it is kind of funny the way they used it. Before the dad left he was teaching his son Freddy how to drive and told him, “ I just want you to get an idea just in case you ever find yourself in a situation”(Ronder Thomas Young 9) this is a very ironic statement because he’s dad was preparing his son for rough times and the dad ended up being the one putting his son in a situation. Thirdly, I liked the way they showed the central crisis of the story, which is Freddy’s dad leaving him and Freddy having to take care of his mom and little brother. For example when Freddy was asked about school he responded with,” not my main order of business”(Ronder Thomas Young 85) showing that he now has to make money instead of school because of the central crisis. In addition, I like the way the author showed the resolution of the story and showed how Freddy finally completed what he has been working for the whole story. For example, Freddy told his little brother, “ I can’t let you starve, you're in my charge” (Rhonda’s Thomas Young 213)this shows that Freddy is now in charge after both parents are out of his life since the death of his mother. Finally, I don’t like how the author didn’t specifically state the setting and just said that the family lives in a rural area and drives to the city. For example, Freddy said, “ I need a license to drive to town” ( Ronder Thomas Young 8) this shows that they never stated a name for the town and just said that the family said they drive to the town. In total I gave this book four out of five stars and it was a pretty good book overall.

[Louis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to this title in book on CD format. The narrator was excellent.

This book rang consistently true for me. I found it to be moving and inspirational in its own way. The protagonist, a 13-year-old boy, is completely believable. His emotional reactions are typical of that age and his preconceptions and assumptions also are realistic.

The setting is in the South, like another book which i recently read and love, The Aurora County All-Stars, by Deborah Wiles. However, this is primarily set on the Georgia-South Carolina border.

The supporting characters all are fleshed out beautifully. Even minor players in the story are described in such a way that you gain insight into their lives and who they are.

I never had a dull moment listening to this book. Each aspect of the story builds on the preceding installments. I never knew what to expect would come up next. Most of the episodes are very mundane, just like real life, yet each adds insight into the main character, Freddy James (spelling? since I listened to the book).

Another interesting sideline in the story was Freddy James's fascination with Odysseus's tale. Ironically, in the time period when I was listening to the book, I heard Cream's "Tales of Brave Ulysses" played on the radio. At first, I wondered if the story was supposed to parallel this myth, but then I wondered if this book isn't the jumping-off point for Freddy James' future adventures in life.

The only complaint I have is that the story ended because I cared so much about these characters that I would have liked to learn more about how their lives proceeded.

[Avaj · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heart wrenching story of a short childhood, overwhelmed by responsibility. Wonderful book and inspiring as well.