Popcorn Days & Buttermilk Nights

Gr 5–8—Gary Paulsen adds another affecting and realistic title to his pantheon of stories about outsiders learning how to become more positive forces in the world. Carley, 14, is always getting into trouble. His frustrated parents send him to live on his Uncle David's farm in rural Minnesota. Initially, Carley has nothing but contempt for the country farm—the poverty, his family's foreign accents, and their "backwards" ways. However, his uncle teaches him to be a blacksmith and imparts important life lessons that show Carley that he can lead a better life. Luke Daniels's superb narration elevates Paulsen's text (Dutton, 1983). His Norwegian accent in voicing David is mesmerizing, and he easily conveys Carley's anger and lack of forethought as well as his eventual turnaround. Although this is one of the author's more laid back coming-of-age stories, it belongs in every historical fiction collection.—B. Allison Gray, Goleta Library, CA