Trouble is a novel written by Gary Schmidt and published in 2008. It is geared towards young adults, with the themes reaching much deeper than bullying and trouble of that sort. The moral lessons that the novel teaches are much more far reaching than changing a teen boy’s life in the novel. The protagonist of Trouble is named Henry Smith. He is extremely wealthy and has a lineage that is well established in Boston as well as America’s history for almost three centuries.
Because of their well place in society, Henry has always been shielded from the “trouble” in society by his father, and his father has succeed for the first part of his life. However, when Henry’s older brother Franklin is hit by a car when he is out on a run. Henry slowly realizes how Franklin isn’t as good of a person has he is a bully and only has a wonderful aura around him because of his family’s past. As Henry grows through this horrible experience, he has to deal with the revelation of atrocious family secrets, racism, bigotry, and trouble all around in life.
