Pay Attention, Carter Jones
Gary D. Schmidt
Clarion Books, February 2019
The Butler in Gary Schmidt’s Pay Attention, Carter Jones shows up at the perfect time. Carter’s father is deployed in Germany when Mr. Bowles-Fitzpatrick arrives on the Jones’s family’s front porch, his service an inheritance of sorts from their recently passed grandfather. Carter’s mother, struggling to care for four and mourning the loss of a fifth, is all too happy to accept free help, but Carter doesn’t appreciate Mr. Bowles-Fitzpatrick’s insistence on speaking “the Queen’s English” or his tips on gentlemanly behavior. The two bond, however, when the butler teaches Carter to drive a car that will one day be his own and introduces him to the intricacies of Cricket. When Carter finds out his father is not returning from Germany, he starts to suspects the butler knows more about his family than it seems, and that the butler’s unsolicited guidance may help him sort the fragments of his family currently spinning out of control. The Butler is appropriately irritating and loveable all at once, striking a perfect balance of affection and frustration as his central relationship with Carter blooms. Carter is both stubborn and sympathetic as a middle schooler confronting the loss of a sibling and his father’s abandonment in a touching and realistic way. A hilarious and heartfelt book that will have readers laughing between tears and “remembering who they are.”
Many thanks to local author, SCBWI-IL member, and guest reviewer, Mike Grosso. Mike is an author, musician, and middle school math teacher who always keeps a guitar in his classroom. Mike writes books and records music at his home in Oak Park, Illinois, where he lives with his son and a drum set he plays much too loud. I AM DRUMS is his first novel, and his rock album, SILENT EXPLOSION, was funded via Kickstarter in early 2018. You can find him at mikegrossoauthor.com.
Join Elizabeth Lynch of Addison Public Library and Kelly MacGregor of Berwyn Public Library for an in-depth look at how they worked to improve service for the teens at their library and a discussion of how you can too.
In September, we welcomed Evanston author Sarah Aronson for a chat about local authors and creative ways to incorporate their books into your programming. Her presentation, “Made in Illinois: New Books by Illinois Authors and How to Use them in the Classroom (and Library),” sparked an engaging conversation about how collaboration between authors, teachers, and librarians can make books come alive. She also shared information about READ LOCAL, a new initiative by the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators for connecting those who create books with those who share them. Find out more at 
On March 20, 2019, the Butler Children’s Literature Center welcomes award-winning children’s author, Carmen Agra Deedy for the 7th Annual Butler Lecture. Join us for The End of the Story as Deedy shares rousing tales of her own families’ life experiences and how the most unlikely of teachers coupled with a series of seemingly small events, made an enormous impact in shaping generations of lifelong learners. The lecture begins at 6:00 pm; a reception and book signing will follow the lecture. Registration opens mid-January.
