Paperboy by Vince Vawter. 224 p. Delacorte Press/ Random House Children's Books, May, 2013. 9780385742443. (Purchased.)
Synopsis: For fans of To Kill a Mockingbird, The King's Speech, and The Help. A boy who stutters comes-of-age in the segregated South, during the summer that changes his life.
An 11-year-old boy living in Memphis in 1959 throws the meanest fastball in town, but talking is a whole different ball game. He can barely say a word without stuttering, not even his own name. So when he takes over his best friend's paper route for the month of July, he knows he'll be forced to communicate with the different customers, including a housewife who drinks too much and a retired merchant marine who seems to know just about everything.
The paper route poses challenges, but it's a run-in with the neighborhood junkman, a bully and thief, that stirs up real trouble--and puts the boy's life, as well as that of his family's devoted housekeeper, in danger.
First Line: I'm typing about the stabbing for a good reason.
Page 56: I missed Rat every time I had to talk to somebody who didn't know me but it didn't do any good to think about Rat because I would miss him more.
Sounds really good...
ReplyDeleteHere is my post
Oh this one is going on my to be read pile! That first line is amazing and I really liked the Help (minus the wide open ending). Great Share.
ReplyDeleteThat opening is terrific! This is a book I'll definitely read.
ReplyDeleteHere's the link to my Friday post: PICTURING PERFECT.
Oh wow, it really does sound like a mix between To Kill a Mocking Bird, The King's Speech and The Help! I like the idea of introducing different characters through a paper round and I wonder what the stabbing is about! Here's my Friday post and I hope you have a good weekend :)
ReplyDeleteJuli @ Universe in Words
That beginning had me blink twice. Wow, sounds pretty powerful. Hope the whole book is like that!
ReplyDeleteHappy weekend!