Chipper

by James Lincoln Collier

It's 1895 in New York City. Hard times have hit, and life isn't going to get noticeably better any time soon. Almost-thirteen-year-old Chipper Carey is running with the Midnight Rats kid gang just to survive. Chipper doesn't normally like to think beyond the present. His past has been bad enough! Ma died of consumption when he was six. His short-lived stay with Aunt Millie and Uncle Bert consisted of endless beatings. He never even knew his father. Sure, Chipper feels badly about the gang's stealing and fighting. He knows Ma wouldn't have approved. He knows she wanted and expected a respectable life for him. What does it matter that even he sometimes feels he's different, maybe even better, than the rest of the gang? What ultimately has to matter is reality, and without the Midnight Rats, Chipper would have nothing. He'd starve. He'd face thrashings more serious than those inflicted by the police. Worst of all, he'd be alone. Fortunately for Chipper, fate takes over and introduces him to the wealthy Miss Sibley. For once, it becomes possible for him to forget that the rich are the enemy. For once, like his Ma, someone else believes that he really was meant for something better.

Genres: Historical Fiction

MP3 CD

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.