Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy

Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy

Author	Gary D. Schmidt
Country	United States
Language	English
Genre	Historical fiction
Publisher	Clarion Books
Publication date	2004

Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy is a young adult historical novel by Gary D. Schmidt, published by Clarion Books in 2004. The book received the Newbery Honor in 2005 and was selected as a Michael L. Printz Honor that same year.

The book was based on a real event. In 1912, the government of Maine put the residents of Malaga Island in a mental hospital and razed their homes.

Plot summary

This book is set in 1912. Turner Buckminster, the son of Reverend Buckminster (Preacher in Phippsburg, Maine), has just moved from Boston, Massachusetts to Phippsburg, Maine and is constantly being teased for simple misunderstandings, not to mentioned being automatically disliked by the boys of Phippsburg for playing baseball differently. Turner meets a black girl, Lizzie Bright Griffin, befriends her, despite his difficulty with social situations. Turner has to save Lizzie's family and friends before they all must leave Malaga Island. But that means standing up to the authorities, including Turner's father.