Remembering the Good Times

Reader reviewed by Jake C

I loved this book and its called remembering the good times

I liked remembering the good times because it was like if it was in real life. It had everything like if you were in the book. It was also a little sad when Travis had killed himself but no one knew why he did kill himself.

Bucks parents were divorced at the beginning of the book and Buck had to live with his dad in Solcum a town that he hadnt ever heard of.. Buck was new to where he now lives but he meet the girl named Kate and a few weeks later Buck meet Travis and they are all in junior high and a year later they are going into high school.

Travis was doing very well in high school he was smart, he won a award, he was nice to every and everyone wanted to be just like him. Buck was very joules at Travis party because Kate was hanging out with him more then he she was hanging out with Buck

I do like this book a lot I recommend it to people because it is very good has great information on what can happen if you do loss one of your friend in your life. I thought that the ending could of been more interested or more exciting of an ending for the reader to want to read the next book after this one. Remembering the good times is a very interesting and kind of sad book but I loved it so much I hope everyone else reads it.

Reader reviewed by Taylor N

I liked the book Remembering the Good Times because it reminds me of my friends and I and how things can change or turn around so quickly. Also how friendships change. But, I didnt like the part were Trav hung himself. He could have died some way else. Like in a car accident or some other less violent way. A good part in the book that I liked and was interested in is how jealous Buck was between Kate and Trav. I think they should have gone out because then Buck might have actually stayed in football and he might be popular like Kate and Trav were. I think Polly is a really interesting person because not many people in the world are quite like her. I liked her because she is old and says she is the meanest person around and will never die. She is also very sarcastic and funny. She is pretty bossy and mean, though. I also like the character Trav because he is extremely smart, but is so depressed because he thinks he is not smart enough and he is not like most people. When he dies in the story, it is like the climax. It was something that really caught my attention. He should not have committed suicide because then he could have had a good chance with Kate, and he could have a better friendship with Buck. There are some examples of why I liked and disliked the book Remembering the Good Times.

Reader reviewed by Ashlynne Krueger

I enjoyed Remembering The Good Times because I love stories that have strong friendships and drama. In this story Buck and Kate and Travis had great connection. Theyve showed me that a healthy friendship lasts along time. Some examples of their closeness is when Travis was stuck in Jail he wasted his one phone call to contact his best friend, Buck. Then Buck came immediately, no questions asked. Another time would be when Kate tried out for the play, she needed Buck there with her. Finally when she did get the part, Buck, Travis, and Polly helped her prepare even when they already knew she was ready.
I personally think that Kate and Buck should have dated in the story. Even though Kate seemed to be attached to Travis like they were meant to be together. Buck has always had certain feelings for Kate since the second time they talked. When Buck learned that Kate and Travis had a close relationship over the summer while he was away in Cleveland with his mom and step-dad, he became a little jealous.
Some of the things I learned from reading this book is sometimes you dont know your friends as well as you thought. Kate and Buck knew that something was wrong with Travis because of the way he acted and sometimes thought of things in a weird way. Another thing I picked up from this book was try at what you want in life and appreciate life. As an example for the part of never giving up would be when Kate wanted to be in the play so badly that she tried her best and never gave up. My other thing I said I learned was appreciating what you have and dont it waste it or take it for granted that way Travis did.

Reader reviewed by Megan R

In the book Remembering the Good Times, Buck, Kate, and Trav are the main characters. They like to spend time together at Kates house and play cards with Polly, Kates great grandma. Then Trav starts acting kind of funny. He starts shoplifting and getting struggled that his classes arent challenging enough. One day Trav bring gifts to Kate, Buck, and Polly, goodbye gifts, they just dont know it. Then a few days later, workers who bought the orchard from Polly find him in a clearing of the orchard, dead. Trav had hung himself. He had gotten a little overwhelmed and thought it was necessary to kill himself. And thats mainly how the book turns out. Trav upsets everyone about killing himself, especially the people at school, they cant stop talking about him. They all feel really bad for his parents too.
Ill be completely honest, this book was boring. Im glad were done reading it, so I will actually have time to read my book. This book was boring because, well other than a few different things happening here and there, it was practically the same thing throughout the entire book. Playing cards at Kates house, school registration, I mean come on, I think we got it the first time! And whenever there is an exciting part, it cuts off! It doesnt even explain further on the topic, it just leaves us hanging! You never really find out what happens to Skeeter after Mr. Slater beats him up, you know he leaves, and that hes back at school later, but did he get hurt? Did he tell someone? Did he threaten anybody about it? What happened? We dont know! Another one, we never really find out who destroyed Ms. Slaters car, or what they do about it, they infer it, but we never really know what exactly happened. I honestly think we could have had a better book. I would recommend it to older people who have a lot of free time, or people who like reading about suicide.

Reader reviewed by Kyle J.

Remembering the good times is good book the main characters is Kate, Buck, Travis, and Polly. I thought it was a good book at the middle and end and the beginning was the worst I ever saw in a long time, because it skipped around a lot and I felt lost when reading the book. When Buck went with his mom for the summer and when he got back he found Kate and Travis hanging around each other more often and became close over the summer. Then the pear orchard got sold and Kate was really mad and it got bulldozed.
Every day after school Buck was working at the gas station and pumping gas and washing windshields. I thought the end was ok and the middle was pretty good and it had good setting and good mood and it was kind of boring. Polly was a old person and she was good at playing games. The story as kind was kind of sad and gloomy. I hate when people die in real life and I dont like going to funerals they are boring. I like reading at a slow pace but not at a fast pace because when I read fast I get lost and miss some of the story. I dont like how on the back of the book that when it says what is going to happen in the book, it gives some of the clues away. But then I like reading the back of it because it gives some information.

Reader reviewed by BrittanyS


The book Remembering the Good Times in my point of view was an okay book. It was about three teenagers whose names are Travis, Buck and Kate. Travis was wealthier and his parents are sort of strict. Buck lives with his dad full time in a trailer house because his mom leaves with her new husband in Cleveland. Kate lives with her mom and her grandmother Polly who has pretty much raised her, because her mom is always gone. Some of the parts I liked are when they all meet before they started eighth grade. Another part I like was when Travis had the Christmas party and Kates mom went with Bucks dad. And mostly everybody and the party didnt like Kates mom because she was a little wild. There were also some parts that were boring to me for example in parts when they are just playing cards with Polly. I think that Polly is a loving kind grandmother to Kate. She makes the book funny when she says that she is the meanest person in Slocum (Slocum is the Town they live in).Another person that is in the book is Skeeter is the bully he picks on teachers and students. The Characters I probably like the most is Kate because she reminds me of myself because she is so opinionated. For example when she tells buck that he stinks when he was in football. My over all rating of this book would be alright.

Reader reviewed by Tanner H

I did not like the book Remembering the Good Times because, it was boring. Also it had to do with death and young people dying. I didnt like how they changed from being young to older in the middle of the book, it confused me a lot. The book is sort of like Heart of a Champion, another book that has to do with young people dying. People that would like to read Remembering the Good Times are ones that like sad, complicated books. The book started out with Buck meeting Kate in a field. They saw a snake hole, than Kate brought Buck over to another place where a calf was being born. They started school and meet Travis. Travis stood up for Sherrie Slater, the teacher, when Skeeter Calhoun threw all of the teachers books and papers on the floor. Also he emptied her purse out. Skeeter also stole Bucks dads hardhat. Buck and Skeeter fought and Skeeter beat Buck up. Then Sherrie Slaters husband beat Buck up at a Halloween party. Polly, Travis, Kate and Buck all played cards together, and Polly was the meanest person in Slocum. Later in the book Travis killed himself. After that Polly Prior made a speech about Traviss death and Buck Mendenhall sobbed. They all went to school a gain and everybody respected them more than ever. They looked at Buck and Kate differently. Now that they new their best friend died. A kid stood up and asked why they dont have a moment of silence or school days off. I didnt like the book.

Reader reviewed by Taylor R.

We read the book Remembering the Good Times, by Richard Peck. I thought it would be a sad, boring book with kids that dont have any control over their lives; so I was debating to read it. The book started off ok it was sort of cute how Buck and Kate met but them both coming from completely different lives. I couldnt imagine them being friends for long. Later they started school and they meet up again. This time they meet a guy named Trav(is) Kirby. He was completely different than both of Buck and Kate.
Now they were all tight. I still couldnt believe that they all could be friends. Buck comes from a divorced family and lives with his dad in a tiny trailer house. Kate, who lives in a nice medium size house with her mom and her great aunt, Polly. Polly was the third oldest woman in Solcum Township. Kates mom is one who is never home and she has boyfriends galore! And Trav was part of one of the richest families in Solcum Township.
Anyways, they have many fun events in their lives and then Trav is one of those over achievers. Soon the thing that was hard for me was when Trav committed suicide. I had no clue that he would be the one. He had a great life a head of him. This was very hard for Buck and Kate. I have gone through something like that when I was in fourth grade. It is very difficult but Buck and Kate took the event very well until the end, they really didnt know what to feel.

Reader reviewed by Mariah H.

Remembering the Good Times

We read the book Remembering the Good Times by Richard Peck in our langue arts class this year. I dislike this book but also I liked it at the same time. I liked the book because it was very inspiring. This book inspired me to be happy with the life I have and that you should take things to serious because not all the time its going to work out. I liked it because it took three different personalities of people and put them together as friends. I liked that because it shows that you can be friends with anybody and you dont have to just be friends with the people who have the same amount of money as you or like the same things as you.
But mostly I disliked this book because I didnt like how the story went along. I didnt like how Kate got put into her family. How she had all the responsibilities around the house and had to take care of her great-grandma and her mom and herself all at the same time. Her mom was never home and when she was she was to busy with herself to talk to Kate or help around the house. I also didnt like how in the story Skeeter, the troublemaker was always getting into trouble and nobody tried to stop him. If there was a Skeeter in my classes I would be so mad because I dont like when people act like that. But the part that I mostly didnt like in the story was when Scotty died in the murder and then Travis committed suicide. I dont think that Travis should have died. He had such a good life ahead of him but he just couldnt handle all the pressure that he was putting on himself. All in all I think it was a very good book to read.

Reader reviewed by Jenna P

The book Remembering the Good Times was not what I was expecting it to be. I thought that the author was going to have Trav die in the beginning of the book and tell how Buck and Kate dealt with it. It was quite the opposite, the author, Richard Peck, wrote about all of the events and clues leading up to Travs suicide. Also, Buck and Kate seemed to deal with it all very well, Travs death I mean. I knew that Buck would not show much emotion because he is a guy and guys never like to show emotion, at least not in public. Kate was a total surprise, normally girls more emotion than guys but in this case Kate showed as much, or less emotion as Buck. She just closed herself up in a little shell and held it all in I also thought that Richard Peck should have included Rusty in the story more because she fit in pretty well in the group at least that is what I thought. Plus, if the author had done that then Buck would not have been so and left out when Kate and Trav were together. I also think that Richard Peck could have come up with a more creative way for Trav to commit suicide, call me cynical but everyone knows how to hang themselves. If Trav was such a genius why didnt he come up with a totally unique way of killing himself? Over all, I thought that Remembering the Good Times was a pretty decent book, but I wouldnt recommend it to a friend.