THE JOURNEY OF LITTLE CHARLIE

THE JOURNEY OF LITTLE CHARLIE by Christopher Paul Curtis

The Journey of Little Charlie is the moving story of Little Charlie Bobo whose father, a white sharecropper, passes away leaving his family in a pile of debt. When Cap'n Buck, the most notorious slave master from the local plantation, comes to collect the debt, Charlie and his mother know the consequences to this debt could be death if they can't pay. Instead, the Cap'n strikes a deal with them. If Little Charlie comes with him north to catch some runaway slaves, the debt will be erased. There's something I've got to interject here. Little Charlie is twelve-years old, but his body is the size of a grown man. Caught between the dilemma of rounding up a family to bring them back to a horrible slave existence or the death of his own family, Little Charlie is forced to leave the last remnants of his childhood behind.

A National Book Finalist, The Journey of Little Charlie, is a well written story. It doesn't shy away from the gruesome details of slavery including some of the torture techniques used on slaves. Because of this, I have pushed the recommended age to the upper end of Middle Grade.

HEADS UP- There are two profanities, and the word "arse" is used twice. There are a couple of places where we encounter nakedness. Charlie walks in on his mom once, Cap'n Buck comes up out of the river once, and Little Charlie loses his clothes escaping a crowd.