*"Reminiscent of To Kill a Mockingbird." —Booklist, Starred
"An unforgettable boy and his unforgettable story. I loved it!" —ROB BUYEA, author of Because of Mr. Terupt and Mr. Terupt Falls Again
This Newbery Honor winner is perfect 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.
Little Man 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’s not exactly looking forward to interacting with the customers. But it’s the neighborhood junkman, a bully and thief, who stirs up real trouble in Little Man’s life.
A Newbery Honor Award Winner
An ALA-ALSC Notable Children’s Book
An IRA Children’s and Young Adults’ Choice
An IRA Teachers’ Choice
A Bank Street College of Education Best Book of the Year
A National Parenting Publications Award Honor Book
A BookPage Best Children’s Book
An ABC New Voices Pick
A Junior Library Guild Selection
An ALA-ALSC Notable Children’s Recording
An ALA-YALSA Amazing Audiobook
A Mississippi Magnolia State Award List Selection
“[Vawter’s] characterization of Little Man feels deeply authentic, with . . . his fierce desire to be ‘somebody instead of just a kid who couldn’t talk right.’” —The Washington Post
“Paperboy offers a penetrating look at both the mystery and the daily frustrations of stuttering. People of all ages will appreciate this positive and universal story.” —Jane Fraser, president of the Stuttering Foundation of America
*“[A] tense, memorable story.” —Publishers Weekly,Starred
“An engaging and heartfelt presentation that never whitewashes the difficult time and situation as Little Man comes of age.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Vawter portrays a protagonist so true to a disability that one cannot help but empathize with the difficult world of a stutterer.” —School Library Journal
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
72 of 75 people found the following review helpful.
This s... s... s... Book Drew Me In. Great Story.
By Matthew Coenen
Paperboy is a coming-of-age novel. It takes place in 1959 and focuses on a young boy with a huge problem.He stutters.And believe me, when you stutter, nothing else much matters. The majority of your being is focused on trying to be "normal."Now, before you start throwing things at a virtual me because of my review title, I've had a stutter since I was in elementary school -- this was back in the late 1970s. One important technique that I used -- just like in Paperboy -- was to place a soft "hiss" before difficult words (I was more a "blocker" than a "stutterer"). Book, because of the hard B sound, would cause my mouth to freeze up (like a "closed fist", says the main character in Paperboy) and putting a soft "s" sound in front of it allowed me to force the word out. If the hiss didn't work, I'd often change the word entirely -- another technique often used by stutterers. For example, using the word "Story" instead of "Book." Story, after all, starts with a soft S sound. Much easier! (And much less panic provoking!)Like Little Man (the main character's nickname in the book -- and nicknames are important because they often take the place of hard-to-pronounce real names), I was in speech therapy and learned many ways to compensate for my stutter, though if I was faced with reading out loud (darned teachers who loved round-Robin reading), giving speeches, or talking to people in general, I would often panic. Freeze up. And my speech problem would be all the more severe.Reading this book was almost reading about my own life. No, I didn't play baseball or deliver papers, but I could relate to every single stuttering-related issue faced by Little Man. In fact, I was in speech therapy for years and taught exactly the same techniques in my non-fictional life. I understand the tricks he used and used all (yes, all) myself at one point. I understand the frustration at having people think I was "retarded" (his word... 1959 remember) or "stupid" because of how I spoke. I remember hating when poeple would finish sentences for me.Although my experiences took place a decade-and-a-half after Paperboy, stutterers were treated the same. And techniques used to treat the issue were similar. Not much was known about stuttering at the time, and many thought I may have started because my first-grade teacher made me switch from being a lefty to a righty. Being left handed was not acceptable in her classroom, apparently. (In many classrooms at the time, honestly. Funny how time changes things, eh?)In Paperboy, Little Man, through the task of delivering papers -- a small job for most, but an extremely difficult one for him -- meets a diverse group of persons in his neighborhood and learns much about himself and life in general. He becomes friends with a deaf boy, dialogues regularly with a scholarly older gentleman while sitting on a porch swing, and comes to understand why one housewife drinks all the time and flirts with him. His own family, including a black housekeeper who still sits in the back of the bus, provides him with just as much insight.An excellent book. Highly recommended.
44 of 46 people found the following review helpful.Highly readable, touching, interesting historical fiction
By Jennifer Donovan
A strong setting takes a run of the mill novel and raises it up. This novel is aptly titled, because in reading it, one truly gets what it's like to be a paperboy. The boy (unnamed throughout most of the novel) is taking over his friend's paper route while he's away for the summer, so as he learns the ropes, so does the reader. However, this paperboy has to struggle with something that others probably do not -- his stutter. So talking to the customers and asking for payment is a challenge.However, at 11, he's at the time in his life when he's going from being a little boy to entering into adolescence which brings more awkwardness, but also more determination and pride. He already knows that he's one of the best baseball players around, but he wants to overcome the barriers that stuttering has put in his way.The other strong setting is the place -- 1959 Memphis. That means that while his parents go out to dinner parties, he is cared for by his African American housekeeper/nanny Mam (it seems as if 50's housewives did a lot of socializing, but perhaps I'm wrong). Mam gives him confidence. A customer on his route who takes the time to talk, listen, and ask questions also helps him figure out who he wants to be.The novel is great on so many levels -- a great cover, a great premise, lots of heart -- that by the time I got to the end, I forgot the bang that started it all. The first sentence:"I'm typing about the stabbing for a good reason. I can't talk.Without stuttering."What a hook! One can't forget that, but the story diverged from that event immediately, only coming back around to it in the end.CONTENT NOTE: I would say this is a book for older middle grade readers, at least 5th and up. There is some swearing. For example, he is practicing he's "p's" right at the beginning of the novel, and says "pitch" as he tosses the newspaper, but a grouchy woman overhears him, thinking he was using a "b." There are also some mature plot elements such as drunkenness, and abuse (which might go over the head of a younger reader), and some violence. That said, for the right audience, this is a wonderful book. I wouldn't give it to my 9-year-old now, but I hope he'll read it in a few years.
56 of 60 people found the following review helpful.edu-tainment for children
By Todd B. Kashdan
I ordered this through Amazon Vine because I thought this would be a great book for my 6-year old twins to learn about empathy, perspective taking, and vulnerability. Can we teach our kids morality in a secular manner? Yes, through books like this. All sorts of questions emerged from this book that I was able to discuss with my kids:what does it mean to be true to yourself?when is sharing something you are not good at a strength instead of a weakness?what would you do if you were in his situation?great stories offer the best psychological insights.thanks.Todd
