Remembering the Good Times

by Richard Peck

How well do we know our best friends?

They were the best of friends. Sixteen-year-old Buck Mendenhall first met Kate Lucas the summer before seventh grade. In eighth grade they made friends with the brilliant and wealthy newcomer, Trav Kirby. They didn't seem to need anyone else. Mostly they looked forward to the good times shared at Kate's house. It didn't matter if their classmates wondered about them; no one could unravel their binding ties.

At least that's what they thought. When one of the trio finds the future too great a threat, the other two can only wonder: "How well did we know our best friend?"

"With humanity, wit, and a quiet intensity, Peck's novel depicts suicide as a turning point inward of the pressures in an alienated and violent society." -- Booklist, starred review.

A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Teen, Read For School, Mental Health, Classics

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1985

About the author

Richard Peck was an American novelist known for his prolific contributions to modern young adult literature. He was awarded the Newbery Medal in 2001 for his novel A Year Down Yonder. For his cumulative contribution to young-adult literature, he received the Margaret A. Edwards Award from the American Library Association in 1990.

Reviews

[Bethany · Rating 5 out of 5]

I ordered this from Amazon after coming across the title here (searching Richard Peck for work). Reading the very mixed reviews, I was uncertain as to how the book would hold up after all these years. It was one of my very favorites when I was younger, one I would search out in any new library as a test of their collection, and I must have read it dozens of times. So the package arrived, and I found an ex-library copy that looked exactly like the ones I'd loved. What to do but put aside everything I actually needed to accomplish, and read it right then and there?

I was somewhat startled to see that the book must have been new-ish the first time I read it, at about 11/12. For some reason I had perceived it as older -- maybe because of the differences between the semi-rural setting and my own suburban childhood? It seemed a lot less dated to me now than then. Anyway, I can't give too much of a review without spoilers . . . but I found that it affected me nearly as much as an adult as it did as a young adult. For all the reviewers who said that "nothing much happened" for the first half of the book, or that the characters read kind of hollow, I wonder -- are you reading as adults? Because from a young adult's perspective, I remember the characters and their stories being very engaging and relevant. As an adult reading YA literature for the first time, I often feel that the stories are somewhat abbreviated, or that there were depths that could have been explored or that the story could have been longer. It's hard to remember that we are not precisely the target audience. Going back and revisiting a childhood favorite really brought that home. It's nice that there are many crossover novels that appeal to both adults and young adults/children, but we need to remember the intended audience before we get too critical.

[Josiah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Before Richard Peck started notching major awards for his children's books, including the Newbery Medal (A Year Down Yonder, 2001), six of his YA novels collectively earned him the Margaret A. Edwards Award in 1990. Remembering the Good Times from 1985 was the latest cited, and is a sterling example of his artistic growth to that point. Buck Mendenhall is scarcely a teenager when he and his best friend Trav Kirby properly meet Kate Lucas near the end of junior high. The trio will be key to each other's lives the rest of their school careers.

Kate grows into her natural beauty with confidence. Buck, whose parents are divorced, wishes he were that self-assured. He burns a little inside himself as Trav closes the gap with Kate, making it clear a romance could bloom. Trav's life is no rose garden: his prodigious intelligence and eagerness to shoulder the world's burdens means that everyone, especially his parents, expects him to be a star. Exemplary behavior and academic performance is considered a given, and Trav tries not to let the cracks in his veneer show as he struggles to fulfill every ounce of promise seen in him.

Dramatic episodes come and go as Buck, Trav, and Kate wend their way through high school. Skeeter Calhoun, a bully without a future, torments Buck now and then. The whole class drives Sherrie Slater, a well-meaning teacher, to quit her job rather than endure harassment by the students. Buck does his best to navigate home life with his single dad. But no one is aware of the pressure building inside Trav, a boy stuck in a labyrinth of unrealistic expectations. Looking back, everyone blames themselves for not seeing it, but when you're a teen you rarely think beyond your own problems. Just treading water is hard enough as you venture into a world that isn't guaranteed to receive you kindly.

Sincere efforts to develop into a good, interesting person are often met with contempt by society, who only notice when you violate their rules. Any goodwill you've earned vanishes, and you are held up to ridicule. The pressures of ostracization could break anyone's back. Sometimes the afflicted soul bows out for keeps, leaving a trainwreck for friends and family. In life we don't all make it where we were supposed to go, and the survivors must forge on in spite of the loss.

"The days of winter enter in,
The darkness nibbles at the days,
The heavy clouds pull down the sky,
The first deep snowfall stays, and grays.

Too long to wait for springtime now
Here in this cold and darkening room,
Only time for remembering
The pear trees all in bloom."

—Remembering the Good Times, P. 130

Richard Peck's novels can be hit or miss, but Remembering the Good Times is a thing of beauty. Life is a brew dosed heavily with trauma, but as long as you're breathing there's another tomorrow, and if you're lucky, good people to see it with. This book will always linger on the periphery of my thoughts.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Buck's parents are divorced. At first, Buck just spends weekends and the summer with his father. That's where he first meets Kate. But when Buck's mother decides to get remarried and move to Cleveland, Buck stays with his dad permanently. He's not sure if Kate will remember him, so he doesn't talk to her the first day of school.

In English, with a new teacher, Buck and Kate experience the tyranny of Skeeter Calhoun for the first time. Quite unexpectedly, a calm, thin student named Trav manages to gain control of Skeeter and soon the three become best friends. As they grow older, Trav becomes more driven and intense. And as Kate grows more beautiful, Buck becomes jealous of Kate and Trav's relationship. Somehow, though, they manage to stay friends through a series of incidents: Skeeter's assault of Buck, his continuing attacks on Sherrie Slater, Kate's appearance in a school play, homecoming and Trav's arrest for shoplifting. But there's something not quite right about Trav and his friends don't seem to notice it until it's too late.

The relationship between Buck and his father is wonderful. The father is a very good role model type character. Buck, as narrator, goes through the believable emotions of this three-way relationship. Kate is a good, strong female character. However, because it is first person, it's hard to get a grasp on Trav and what really drives him. You get hints but you never really know for sure. It's also interesting how the adult relationship (Buck's father, Scotty and Irene) seems to parallel the kids' relationship.

[abbi · Rating 4 out of 5]

nostalgia: equal parts charming and heartbreaking

[Joelle Sharp · Rating 5 out of 5]

Each Richard Peck I start to read I think it might not be as good as the last one but I end up loving it just as much as all of his other books!

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

When you've read enough books about serious issues, you can tell which ones are using characters to teach a lesson and which ones are about characters dealing with these issues as they happen in life. This one was the latter.

The book makes sure you get to know Buck, Kate, and Trav as people first and foremost. He drops hints without beating you over the head with them. He doesn't focus the story on one single tragedy that's going to happen, but ties it in with other problems the characters have to cope with, like Skeeter Calhoun's sociopathy, the unexpected death of Scotty, Kate's fear of losing her grandmother when she announces an important decision she's made.

Trav is not well, Buck and Kate blame themselves for not recognizing it, but life keeps throwing all manner of things at them. And yes, there's a big speech at the end about suicidal teenagers, but also a counterpoint from Kate's grandmother. We can make speeches about a problem, but it can't end there. We have to actually do the work to solve it, and it's never as easy as flipping a switch like people want to think it is.

Books that deal with serious topics through the eyes of human beings who don't see it coming and wish they had are the best way to go when writing about The Issues.

[April · Rating 3 out of 5]

Richard Peck, a former teacher, passed away in 2018 with 30+ books for middle and high school students published. He never shied away from the ISSUES and was ahead of his time. I absolultely adore the writings of Richard Peck, but this one didn't move me as some of his others.
When you've read enough books about serious issues, you can tell which ones are using characters to teach a lesson and which ones are about characters dealing with these issues as they happen in life. This one was the latter.
The book makes sure you get to know Buck, Kate, and Trav as people first. He drops hints without beating you over the head with them. He doesn't need to use sex and profanity to get the point across. He doesn't focus the story on one single tragedy that's going to happen, but ties it in with other problems the characters (as those in real life) have to cope with like jealousy, bullying, loss, divorce, and social adjustment - throwing all manner of things at them. Then Richard Peck poses the question: 'But what you going to do about it?'

[Seth · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book was REMEMBERING THE GOOD TIMES, author is Richard Peck. The setting is in a small town in late 1990. The main characters are Buck,Trav, and Kate. I found the book by looking around a general area of the library.

The beginning Bucks parents have a divorce ,then he’s moves with his dad. He meets new friends and they do many thing together. They face freshman year together and face many challenges and struggles. Then one day at the end of the year Trav gets caught doing something, and the book ends soon after that. The main conflict is the problems that Trav is having ,and Bucks parents divorce. Buck is the main character that story is about. Kate and Trav they do everything with Buck no matter what.

The way the book ended was very shocking and sad. My favorite part of the book is when Kate helped someone jump a kid.

The book was alright could have been better. I have not had another book like it and it was good. Anyone would like this book it’s pretty good.

[Rebecca Brothers · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am terrified by the numbers of suicides being reported in the news. Those numbers include the increased rate of suicide and the ever younger ages of the victims. Peck gave us a lovely look at a trio of friends, that strange ten dynamic of two boys and girl, the tensions that produces. And he gives us suicide in a complex picture, starting long before the act and painting a portrait of a dribbled boy who flies under everyone's radar. I knew what would happen and to whom because I'd read Peck's own autobiographical commentary on the book needle I read that story. I'm sorry that I did because I would have liked to have the story happen to me in real time. As it was, I read the book like a mom and teacher. Peck shows us a boy troubled by a mind that cares too much, to whom everything matters too much. That's what it is.

[Monica Caldicott]

Trav, Kate and Buck are the best of friends. Moving from middle school to high school, they need each other. 

Read p. 26: “You guys …” 

Buck is growing up, living with his Dad, missing his mom. 
Kate takes responsibility for her house, taking care of Polly, her great-grandmother. 
But Trav is different – he comes from a successful family and pushes himself too hard to be perfect.

Read p. 45: “The rest of (Trav’s) room was younger … they tear up your roots … so you can remember yourself.”

(Trav commits suicide – Kate and Buck must go on without him. Polly helps them p. 178, “He had parents…”)
Characters:
Buck
Kate
Trav
Polly

[Wendopolis · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is obviously one of those “problem” YA novels from the 80’s, when characters were not as important as making sure there was an “issue”. This book would benefit from a rewrite/update, because the bones of it are good: three oddballs who don’t fit in anywhere become best friends until one succumbs to his problems and the other two are left to deal with the fallout. But that really doesn’t happen in this book, because nothing gets fleshed out enough to make a satisfying story. The reader is left feeling that something is missing.

[Zan Porter · Rating 4 out of 5]

How well do we know our best friends? People around school wonder about Kate and Buck and Trav. Can the three of them give one another the strength to weather these changes and find the support that is lacking in their impersonal, status-ridden school? They seem to, until one of three finds the future too great a threat and slips away.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trigger warning: suicide, murder
Growing up: multi-generational friendships, multi-gender friendships, the changing of a community, school responsibilities, home responsibilities, neighbors, divorce, parent child, grades, choices, extracurricular activities,

[karii · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartbreaking.

[Courtney Hazzard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read it in middle school. So sad

[Brayden Quick · Rating 5 out of 5]

First book that I've fully read through since high school prolly. Really enjoyed it. I really enjoyed it and it was a nice book to get me back into reading.

[Daniela Duarte · Rating 4 out of 5]

Remembering the good times is the first book I have read by the author Richard Peck. This book was published in April of 1986, so you can say it's pretty dated. I picked up this book from a family friend who had read it before, and recommended it to me. Going in, I had no expectations, nor did I know anything about the author, Peck.

The beginning of the book was quite slow and seemed like the storyline was going no where as it was particularly ordinary; three best of friends and a tragedy. As I got past the half of the book, the conflict picked up and the story intensified. Personally, I did not like the ending, as it ends very abruptly, but I enjoyed the story of Buck Mendenhall, Kate Lucas, and Trav Kirby. I can see how the book appealed to the audience of young adults. My favorite thing about author, Peck was his ability to use the changing landscape of the town to comment on the protagonists' emotional change and growth in the story and life.

[Cami · Rating 1 out of 5]

I NEED AN AUDIOBOOK

[Skyler · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book became part of the standard Lincoln Public Schools (NE) curriculum the year surveys revealed that suicide was the number one killer of teens between the ages of 14 and 18. We all got forms sent home for parents to sign, and a special counselor came to our lit class to discuss everything from signs of potential suicide victims to dealing with the loss of a classmate. It was surreal.

Now, I realize the gravity of discovering that America's teens were killing themselves. It is a strange irony that (I think) the current number one is alcohol related accidents, which--in a way--could mean teens have simply found a new way to do it. But I digress...

This story is about three young-adults who create an incredible bond through fast friendship one summer (as kids often do). They are the oddest trio, each hailing from a different social class, but somehow their friendship just seems right. Inevitably, the relationships are strained, both internally and externally, and one of the teens decides that it isn't worth the trouble to get up every day, anymore.

Remembering The Good Times was shocking and powerful for me, because it showed me that our school system and parents actually cared about us, and that they were willing to put everyone's learning on hold for a single, united purpose. While I've never lost anyone in this way, I was very, very close to it myself once, years later, shortly after I turned 17. I do not know if it's just my generation, but almost everyone I ask says they have contemplated it at least one time. The story points out how to recognize despair in someone, especially the young--perhaps even the self--and I think that's a skill we could all use.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would give this 3.5 stars. Remembering the Good Times is the story of three teenagers who don't fit neatly into any of the cliques at their school, and the unusual friendship they forge.

There are some powerful characters in this book, particularly Kate and her great-grandmother Polly. Oddly, I never felt like I was in the skin of the narrator, Buck Mendenhall.

A lot of intense stuff happens in this novel, and its just a tad over the top for me. For a YA novel, it also seems a little adult-focused to me, as if it is written by a father who wanted to tell his son something he didn't know how to communicate directly. The parental figures hover around the edges of the novel saying loving and/or heartrending things.

I am a fan of Richard Peck--his books are ambitious and they always have something to say.

[Karen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Based strictly on a comparison with Richard Peck's other books, this book deserves only two stars. It is the story of three friends -- Buck, Kate and Trav -- during their teenage years, told from Buck's viewpoint. It is at once a coming-of-age story and a cautionary tale about teenage depression. Certainly, Mr. Peck does a good job with character development. I especially liked some of the secondary characters he created in the book, including Rusty, who is a girl who has moved in from California and has a quirky, but healthy outlook on life, and Polly, who is Kate's feisty grandmother. The storyline though is not tight and ambles along with uncertain direction.

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was recommended to me in a young adult literature course I took last fall and also in a children's literature course from the previous summer. While the book does deal with a suicide, it doesn't work through enough of this issue for me to warrant it as a book I would recommend to any of my students. Also, it is set in the mid-1980s, and I don't imagine my students would stick with it long enough to get there.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Buck, Katey and Trav have been friends since seventh grade. Now in high school each has family problems, but Trav is seriously distrubed and eventually kills himself leaving behind guilt and anger in his friends. Learning how to grieve and how to accepr help from parents is the focus of this novel.

[Bryce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although this is certainly a bit dated in terms of popular culture referenced during the time, this book will remain relevant for how it forces the reader to analyze the warning signs leading up to the climax and what those closest to the individual could have done, if anything, to avoid the eventual unfortunate outcome.

[Carol C · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars. Having loved the characters, heart, and humor in some of Peck's books (_A Long Way from Chicago_, _On the Wings of Heroes_, etc), I thought this book would provide some of the same. It didn't quite deliver. It was a fair story, but the characters didn't have the depth I was hoping for.

[November · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book is rlly gud. like actually. my English teacher made me read it and like wOw. it’s gud. idek how to explain it yk. like it’s just good. it really touches on the subject of how teenagers hide their feelings and how we are freaking stubborn and depressed all the damn time. and like what happens to even the bestest friends over time. 10/10 highly recommend:,)

[Becky · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was about a girl remembering the good times she useto have.A boy is talkinq to the qirl well becuz they r friends.They have a chance 2 talk 2 eachother.They know eachother.

This book was an okay book.I didnt really like it.It wasn't that interesting.

[Jillian]

The first have of this book was REALLY slow... but eventually it picked up. There were a lot of random digressions that were never really fleshed out and I wonder about their importance to the real story.

[Tara · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Another book illustrating that teenagers also deal with real life issues. This time, two friends are left with trying to come to grips with their third friend committing an unexpected suicide. Well written, as Peck's books always are, but rather sad.

[Laurie D'ghent · Rating 1 out of 5]

Stupid, boring book. As I was waiting for Good Reads to load, I read the back and realized one of the main characters ended up killing himself. Nothing happens through the whole thing, and then he takes pills. Lame.