Popcorn Days and Buttermilk Nights [Paperback]

Gary Paulsen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1989 | Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up

Carley would rather be anywhere that in this poverty-stricken Minnesota farm town. Still, staying with his Uncle David's family is better than reform school--which is where Carley was headed. Paulsen is the award-winning author of Hatchet.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A disturbed 14-year-old gains new perspectives while staying with his uncle in a Minnesota farm community in the 1940s, in this novel by the Newbery Honor author. Ages 10-14.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Paperback: 112 pages
• Publisher: Puffin (September 1, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140342044
• ISBN-13: 978-0140342048
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,233,318 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #42 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Teens > Authors, A-Z > ( P ) > Paulsen, Gary

More About the Author

Gary Paulsen is one of the most honored writers of contemporary literature for young readers. He has written more than one hundred book for adults and young readers, and is the author of three Newberry Honor titles: Dogsong, Hatchet, and The Winter Room. He divides his time among Alaska, New Mexico, Minnesota, and the Pacific.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of Paulsen's good ones, December 9, 1999

By 

John A. Lefcourte (Reno, NV USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Popcorn Days and Buttermilk Nights (Paperback)

In my opinion Paulsen writes some great books and some so-so ones. This is one of the great ones for the description it gives of rural life and values and is tremendously evocative of a sense of place and time. I don't know if young people will have the same reaction but I'm going to give it to my eleven year old son and find out.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Learning Values, April 13, 2011

By 

JMack (Chicago) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Popcorn Days and Buttermilk Nights (Paperback)

When Carley is sent to live this his uncle in rural Minnesota after getting into trouble in the big city, the basic outline of the plot is pretty apparent. Through hard work and a little struggle, Carley will learn the value of what he has. The ending takes the book in an odd direction, but the book may still find favor with some young adult audiences.

The first chapters unravel slowly. Carley initially does not take to his life in Minnesota's farm country. In fact, he finds the life frustrating to a point where his uncle questions whether Carley can live with him. But working with a blacksmith who has a drunken epiphany sets the boy in a new direction. As Carley notes on the final page, "... I was tearing things down, and all the time there were people like (uncle) David who made these things, and I was just ripping them apart."

Though a short book, it makes a point with its audience. The young adult audience may be unfamiliar with this plot line, so it can make an impact with some readers. Other readers that have seen this basic story may not be as interested. And though the project undertaken by Uncle David and Carley may seem implausible, at least it is entertaining.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Paulsen Plus, January 9, 2007

By 

Sharron A. Bortz "Literacy through literature" (McGrath, AK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Popcorn Days and Buttermilk Nights (Paperback)

I love almost anything that Gary Paulsen writes, but in my estimation this book is one of the best. I was deeply moved by the little man who accomplished so much for the love of his family. The protagonist is a juvenile, in legal trouble, who is sent to live with his uncle, a blacksmith in rural Minnesota. The boy learns the value of work from his hardworking uncle, but he learns more when the uncle spends his little spare-time to create a carnival for his children because he wasn't able to take them to one.

I have owned this book for a long time but recently bought a second copy to lend to other admirers of Paulsen. I am a librarian in off-road Alaska. This book is so different from his better know and loved survival tales, that I wanted others to see the more tender side of Paulsen.