Public

Gr 5 Up—Twelve-year-old Tommy struggles with a multitude of problems as he grows up in the small working class, immigrant community of Downer's Grove, Illinois during the early 1950s. His mother, who suffers from debilitating mental illness frequently lashes out in fits of unpredictable violence that affect the entire family, including his father and two younger sisters. When his beloved older sister is severely burned in an accident that he blames on himself, he takes over her early morning paper route, meeting neighbors and encountering challenges along the way. Despite his valiant efforts to do right and 'be like a cowboy,' Tommy finds himself acting more like an outlaw, stealing from a local shop and bullying other boys, especially a new-to-town, scar-faced boy he calls 'Little Skinny.' When Tommy plants a Communist newspaper in Little Skinny's dad's shop, he realizes that his latest prank may have gone too far when it almost puts the shop out of business. As he learns more about the lives of those with whom he interacts, he feels remorse and tries to set things straight. Doing so requires telling the truth, finding surprising answers and nobly asking others for much needed help. Levine deftly captures a time period filled with an overarching paranoia and small-town life filled with tensions on many levels. The story itself is faintly reminiscent of Jack Gantos' Dead End in Norvelt (Farrar, 2011), but without the humorous relief. Scenes of violent beatings, emotional hospital visits, and other family and social drama make this historical novel almost too realistic at times. Give it to readers who want to learn about the effects of bullying or surviving life's tough situations.—Madeline J. Bryant, Los Angeles Public Library