The Crazy Man
Publisher
Groundwood Books
Publication Year
2006
ISBN
9780888996954
Pages
176 pages
Genre
historical
Format
novel
Item Type
Fiction
Annotation
It is 1965, and 12-year-old Emaline, living on a wheat farm, must deal with a family that is falling apart. When her dog, Prince, chases a hare into the path of the tractor, she chases after him, and her father accidentally runs over her leg, leaving her with a long convalescence and a permanent disability. Even worse, from Emaline’s point of view, is that in his grief and guilt, her father shoots Prince and leaves Emaline and her mother on their own. Despite the neighbors’ disapproval, Emaline’s mother hires Angus, a patient from the local mental hospital, to work their fields. Angus is a red-haired giant whom the local children tease and call "the gorilla." Though the small town’s prejudice creates a cloud of suspicion around Angus that nearly results in tragedy, he just may hold the key to Emaline's coming to grips with her injury and the loss of her father.
Grade Level
3-5; 6-8
Lexile Measure
750L
Diversity Topics
Family Relationships; Disability and Health; Single parent; Physical disability; Mental illness; single mother; mobility; acquired limb difference/amputation; paranoia
Main Character
female child
Race/Ethnicities
White
Family Formation
single mother
Awards
Book of the Year Award for Children, 2006, Winner, Early Childhood
Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People, 2006, Winner
Governor General's Literary Awards, 2005, Winner, Children's Literature (Text English)
International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) Honor List, 2008, Honour List, English Text
Jane Addams Children's Book Award, 2006, Honor Book, Books For Older Children
Prix TD De Litterature Canadienne Pour L'Enfance et la Jeunesse, 2006, Winner, English Language
Rocky Mountain Book Award, 2007, Winner
Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children's Book Award, 2006, Short List, Young Adult and Middle Reader
Sheila A. Egoff Children's Literature Prize, 2006, Finalist
White Ravens Award, 2006, Winner, Canada
Best Children's Books of the Year, 2005 Age (12 and up)
Children's Catalog, Nineteenth Edition, 2006
Choices, 2006 Children's Fiction
Middle and Junior High School Library Catalog, Supplement to the Ninth Edition, 2006
Quill & Quire Books of the Year, 2005 Children's Book
Keywords
poor; dead beat dad; farmer; farming life; mental institution; dog; healing; friendship
Diversity Impact
direct
STARS Citation
Porter, Pamela, "The Crazy Man" (2006). Diverse Families. 1539.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/diversefamilies/1539