Bucking the Sarge
(Libby/OverDrive eAudiobook)

Gr. 5-9. Curtis moves from the historical fiction of The Watsons Go to Birmingham--1963 0 (1995) and his Newbery Medal-winner Bud, Not Buddy 0 (1999) to the contemporary scene in this hilarious, anguished novel set in his hometown of Flint, Michigan. The narrator is smart, desperate 15-year-old Luther ( not0 Loser, as some call him) Farrell, who speaks with wit, wisdom, and heartbreaking realism about family, work, school, friends, and enemies. He hates his vicious mom (the "Sarge"), who has made herself rich by milking the system, including evicting poor families from slum housing. Luther's job is to care for four men in Sarge's Adult Rehab Center, another scam. At school he wants to win the science fair medal again, even if his rival is the girl he has loved since kindergarten. Bits of philosophy from Luther's various mentors, who range from Socrates to Judge Judy, blend with the comedy and sorrow. There are some real surprises in plot and character, including a substitute parent Luther finds in an unexpected place and a science project that does change the world. His schemes of revenge and escape are barely credible, but the farce and the failure tell the truth in this gripping story. --Hazel Rochman Copyright 2004 Booklist

PW's starred review said, "Featuring characters so lively they seem to jump off the page and a gratifying resolution, this vibrant modern-day battle between greed and morality proves that there is more than one way to come out on top." Ages 12-up. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Gr 8 Up-Luther's mother, "the Sarge," runs an empire of Flint, MI, slums and halfway houses, and has a loan-sharking business. At age 15, Luther manages one of her halfway houses, drives the residents around in a van with an illegal license, and readies the homes of evicted tenants for the Sarge's next desperate victims. In exchange, she puts his earnings in a college fund, threatens him into submission, and primes him to take over the business. All Luther wants to do is win the school science fair, think deep thoughts, find some action for the vintage condom in his wallet, and do something honest with his life. Curtis tells the teen's story with his usual combination of goofy humor, tongue-in-cheek corniness, and honest emotion. Accordingly, Luther narrates the absurd, embarrassing details of his life with both adult sensitivity and teen crassness. The dialogue between Luther and Sparky, his "womb to tomb" best friend, is at turns hilarious and touching. The Sarge herself is so convincingly sharp-tongued, shrewd, and despicable that she's the novel's juiciest character. The plot unfolds slowly at first, and teens may lose patience with Luther's tendency to feel sorry for himself. However, once his confidence begins to build, the story keeps a quickening pace with his character arc. His final revenge on the Sarge is so deftly constructed and the novel's resolution so satisfying that it makes up for the occasional lag in the lead-up. Any teen who's ever wanted to stick it to the man (or woman) will love this story.-Johanna Lewis, New York Public Library (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(Middle School) Curtis's (The Watsons Go to Birmingham -- 1963; Bud, Not Buddy) latest novel is set in contemporary Flint, Michigan; his protagonist, Luther T. Farrell, is fifteen going on thirty. By the time Luther turned twelve, his mother, a thoroughly unscrupulous loan shark, slumlord, and scam artist known as the Sarge, had obtained for him an illegal driver's license and installed him as caretaker at a group home for elderly men. Between dishing out ramen and meds and helping the Sarge's sidekick evict tenants who have fallen behind on their rent, Luther spends time with his friend Sparky and works at studying philosophy and becoming the three-time champion of his school science fair. Luther mostly deals with the moral bankruptcy of the Sarge's activities by being matter-of-fact and task-oriented, but occasionally he is unavoidably confronted with the humanity and suffering of her victims. Fortunately for the reader faced with such bleakness, Luther is a vintage Curtis hero, with a keen eye for human inconsistencies, a self-deprecating sense of humor, and a genuine inner sweetness that never slips into self-righteousness. Luther triumphs perhaps too easily and thoroughly over the Sarge (a two-dimensional villain, reminiscent of the Warden in Sachar's Holes), but it is hard to begrudge either Curtis or Luther their happy ending. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.

Luther's hard-driving mother, "Sarge," has built personal life and financial empire (slum housing, group homes, loan sharking business) through belief in two things: herself and money. Luther is exploited no less than her "clients." At 13, he got a forged driver's license and the responsibility for running The Happy Neighbor Group Home for Men. Years later, Luther's life is a grind of responsibility at the home and striving at school. When Luther's science fair project--on the dangers of lead paint--promises to cost Sarge (whose apartments are painted with it) money and jail time, she ruthlessly cuts him adrift. In a conclusion that avoids contrivance through his comic use of organizational list-making, Luther, who is thoroughly decent despite everything, shrewdly gets all he's owed and declares his independence. In Curtis's hands, this is darkly funny as he deftly paints his Runyonesque cast of characters as broadly as the side of the Buick Riviera driven by Darnell, Sarge's "rent-a-thug." Told in Luther's jivey, colloquial voice, enriched by Curtis's cast of large-hearted survivors, and enlivened by his coruscating style, this is another winner--or, as Luther might say, a "three-peat." (Fiction. 10-16) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Narrator Boatman offers a wonderfully high-spirited reading of Curtis' latest funny but intense novel, which focuses on 15-year-old Luther T. Farrell, an anguished young man hoping to escape the clutches of his evil mother, the "Sarge." Boatman tackles Luther's lively first-person narrative with captivating energy, conveying the protagonist's snappy intelligence and neurotic tendencies. Although the novel elicits laughs, it is also packed with bitter sadness. The Sarge is rich because of her ability to milk the system and exploit the poor. Boatman excels at playing the seething villainess. A book like this needs comic relief, and the narrator shines in his portrayal of the funniest characters, a huckster lawyer and Luther's scheming friend. He also does a masterful job with elderly Chester X, who becomes Luther's unlikely and intriguing father figure. This compelling, if at times implausible, inner-city revenge tale is a most entertaining audio. Copyright 2019 Booklist Reviews.

Gr 8 Up-Luther T. Farrell is not like most other 15-year-olds living in Flint, Michigan. While he's working hard to win the school science fair for the third year, he is also in charge of one of his mother's group homes and that includes driving the men to rehab and cleaning them up after bathroom accidents. Luther and his mom, a.k.a. Sarge, are financially well off because she's also a slumlord and a loan shark, but the eighth grader is uncomfortable with his life. Christopher Paul Curtis's novel (Wendy Lamb Books, 2004) recounts how this often philosophical youth decides to do what's right and turns the tables on his mother. Luther's best friend Sparky, Shayala his heart's desire, and a wise elderly resident of the group home add humor, wisdom, and a bit of romance to this story that mixes comedy and questions about morality. Michael Boatman's narration has the breezy bounce of inner-city youth, but he also captures the serious undertone of the story. The sound quality is good, and a bit of music adds a hip beat to the opening and closing of the recording. There are a few wacky subplots and some funky characters, but both urban and suburban listeners will connect with the teen appropriate dialogue and admire the way Luther emerges victorious after making tough choices.-Barbara Wysocki, Cora J. Belden Library, Rocky Hill, CT Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.