Chipper

by James Lincoln Collier

Orphaned and homeless, twelve-year-old Chipper Carey is a street-wise gang member in 1890s New York City, until a con man introduces him to a wealthy woman who is seeking her long-lost nephew and Chipper must decide where his loyalties lie.

Genres: Historical Fiction

207 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

James Lincoln Collier (born June 27, 1928) is a journalist, author, and professional musician.

Collier's notable literary works include My Brother Sam Is Dead (1974), a Newbery Honor book that was also named a Notable Children's Book by the American Library Association and nominated for a National Book Award in 1975. He also wrote a children's book titled The Empty Mirror (2004), The Teddy Bear Habit (1967), about an insecure boy whose beatnik guitar teacher turns out to be a crook, and Rich and Famous (1975), sequel to The Teddy Bear Habit. His list of children's books also includes Chipper (2001), about a young boy in a gang. His writings for adults include numerous books on jazz, including biographies of Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman and Duke Ellington. He has also contributed entries on jazz-related subjects to the Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians.

In addition to his writing, Collier is an accomplished jazz musician who plays the trombone professionally.

Reviews

[Ruby Whitechapel · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book wants to be a gritty, sentimental rags-to-riches tale, but it’s hard to shake the feeling that you’ve read this story before—and in a far better version with workhouses, pickpockets, and a Victorian author who truly committed to the melodrama. This is Oliver Twist with the serial numbers filed off, except the emotional beats land softer, the stakes feel thinner, and the pathos never quite gathers momentum.

Chipper is fine. Perfectly fine. But it never becomes more than that, and the echo of Oliver Twist only reminds you how much sharper, stranger, and more powerful this story could have been.

[LisaSunshineGirl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m curious to know if there is a sequel. The ending left a couple of plot points unresolved.

[Dotty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Young orphan boy, Chipper, member of the gang, Midnight Rats, is found to be son of a wealthy family. There are Collier titles I like better.

[Jane · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was OK. I liked the ending.