Hardcover. $13.10. ISBN: 978-0545156646.Red and Benji are two young boys who live on opposite sides of Piney Woods.
Benji lives in the black community of Buxton. The families have a long and rich history of life in their town. Many people settled in Buxton after escaping slavery in the United States, and slipping successfully across the Canadian border.
Benji wants to be a newspaperman. He has the heart of a writer, and is overjoyed when his parents find a job for him at the newspaper, the very first newspaper ever owned by a black woman. Benji's interactions with his friends help tell the story of a loving, supportive community that keeps a look out for each other.
Red wants to be a scientist. His grandmother was an immigrant from Ireland, and she has never forgotten nor forgiven the horrible circumstances that surround her families' flight from Ireland during the potato famine. Her experiences color her relationship with her grandson, Red. Red is terrified of his grandmother, and goes out of his way to avoid her wrath and ire. Even as cruel as his grandmother is, Red knows that he is more fortunate than some who have harder lives.
In between the two towns lie the Piney Woods. A magical woods, full of secret places, known only by a few. Benji is one of those few who knows the secrets of the woods.
But, the woods hold a very dark secret. For the Madman of Piney Woods lives deep within the forest. Only occasionally seen, the tales of the Madman are woven through the folklore of both towns.
In a wonderfully rich tale, the stories of Benji and Red are intertwined, and they become fast friends after a chance meeting.
Set in 1908, Christopher Paul Curtis explores the deeper meanings of the human experience and will leave you breathless.
Author's Web Site: http://www.nobodybutcurtis.com/
