Waiting for Augusta

by Jessica Lawson (Author)

Reading Level: 4th − 5th Grade

With a fresh, funny voice, lots of adventure, and a healthy dose of magic, from the author of The Actual & Truthful Adventures of Becky Thatcher and Nooks & Crannies--which School Library Journal called "original, engaging, and funny" in a starred review--comes a profound tale of love, loss, and family.

Eleven-year-old Benjamin Putter has a lump in his throat, and he's certain it's a golf ball. He knows it sounds crazy, but everything's been topsy-turvy since his father died last month. And he doesn't know how to fix it.

Then, one day, something starts tugging at Ben, telling him to hurry to Augusta, Georgia--home of the most famous golf course in the world.

Ben might be going a little crazy, but escaping Hilltop, Alabama, sounds like a darn good idea. (And just maybe it will make that lump go away.) As he makes his way to Augusta, Ben partners up with a mysterious runaway named Noni, and they embark on a journey full of strange and wonderful surprises--and possibly magic--at every turn.

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Kirkus

A whimsical, heartwarming, multilayered story about finding grace enough to accept the flaws in those we love and courage enough to act from our most deeply held beliefs. 

School Library Journal

Gr 4-6--Eleven-year-old Ben Putter's dad died last month, and his ashes are sitting in the kitchen. Ever since, Ben feels like he's too big for his skin, that if he can just leave town for a little while, he'll figure out how to get the golf ball-size lump out of his throat. The day Ben decides to run away is the same day his dad's ashes start talking to him. Ben's father reminds him that his dying wish was to be spread on the 18th hole at Augusta National, the world's best golf course. Ben sets off for Augusta, GA, determined to follow his dad's final wishes. Along the way, he meets a runaway named Noni, a girl with her own set of secrets. Set in 1972 Alabama and Georgia, this moving and emotional coming-of-age story tackles themes of racism, friendship, and growing up. As the two make their way to Augusta, they encounter racist protesters rallying against school integration. Ben struggles with his guilt about his past failure to stand up for his best friend May, who experienced bullying from her white peers. Through his literal and figurative journey, Ben grows and matures. VERDICT An absorbing work of historical fiction.--Terry Ann Lawler, Burton Barr Library, Phoenix

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Publishers Weekly

In a story set in 1972 in a South pushing back against integration, Lawson (Nooks & Crannies) delivers a complex and often touching exploration of father-son relationships. Ben Putter's recently deceased father, a passionate golfer who never went pro, seemed perpetually disappointed with his shy son, who lives to draw and paint. When he starts speaking to Ben from the urn that holds his ashes, Ben--in an act that goes against everything in his nature--sets out to scatter the ashes on the 18th hole of the Augusta National Golf Club, 400 miles away, accompanied by a runaway named Noni who has her own, unexplained, reasons for needing to get to Augusta. Their journey follows a few predictable lines--taking on fake identities, hopping freight trains, and truck stealing--and some atypical ones, such as Ben expertly butchering a pig. Throughout, Ben and his father have the conversations they couldn't when his father was alive. Ben and Noni are believable characters whose contrasting personalities play well against each other, but the story's magical elements mix uneasily with its strong foundation of realism. Ages 8-12. Agent: Tina Wexler, ICM. (May)

Copyright 2016 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

"Colorful, quirky, and full of heart, with an ending readers won't forget."—Ingrid Law, Newbery Honor-winning author of Savvy, Scumble, and Switch
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9781481448406
Lexile Measure
830
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Publication date
May 09, 2017
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV037000 - Juvenile Fiction | Fantasy & Magic
JUV001000 - Juvenile Fiction | Action & Adventure
JUV016000 - Juvenile Fiction | Historical | General
JUV032190 - Juvenile Fiction | Sports & Recreation | Golf
Library of Congress categories
History
20th century
JUVENILE FICTION / Action & Adventure / Gener
Runaways
Fathers
Southern states
Grief
JUVENILE FICTION / Fantasy & Magic
Runaway children
Golf
Golf stories
JUVENILE FICTION / Sports & Recreation / Golf

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