Paperboy

by Vince Vawter
Hennepin County Library hardcover 221 pages
genre: YA historical, coming-of-age

Oh my word. I *loved* this book! I was reading it to evaluate its use for our students in their Civil Rights unit. At first, I thought it was perhaps a bit too "young" for our kids, but now I'm not so sure.

Eleven-year-old Victor Vollmer is in the seventh grade because he is bright, but he was almost held back because of his severe stuttering. He loves words, but struggles to say them. Set in Memphis during the 1950s, Victor takes over his best friend's paper route for the month of July while Art ("Rat") is visiting his grandparents' farm. Doing the route opens Victor's world in unimaginable ways.

Initially, I was going to make a pros/cons list for using this book. Right now, the kids read Lay That Trumpet in Our Hands. Not having read that title yet, I'm not sure if Paperboy has enough of the same civil rights content that the teachers want. It is, however, an amazing and rich story. I will probably buy a copy for PRMS and invite the teacher to read it (or have some of our capable students read it and make a recommendation). I loved the focus on words and language - both spoken and written.