The Paper Cowboy
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- $15.99
Publisher Description
Though he thinks of himself as a cowboy, Tommy is really a bully. He's always playing cruel jokes on classmates or stealing from the store. But Tommy has a reason: life at home is tough. His abusive mother isn't well; in fact, she may be mentally ill, and his sister, Mary Lou, is in the hospital badly burned from doing a chore it was really Tommy's turn to do. To make amends, Tommy takes over Mary Lou's paper route. But the paper route also becomes the perfect way for Tommy to investigate his neighbors after stumbling across a copy of The Daily Worker, a communist newspaper.
Tommy is shocked to learn that one of his neighbors could be a communist, and soon fear of a communist in this tight-knit community takes hold of everyone when Tommy uses the paper to frame a storeowner, Mr. McKenzie. As Mr. McKenzie's business slowly falls apart and Mary Lou doesn't seem to get any better, Tommy's mother's abuse gets worse causing Tommy's bullying to spiral out of control.
Poignantly written, Kristin Levine proves herself a master of gripping and affecting historical fiction.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Inspired by her father's childhood, Levine (The Lions of Little Rock) explores the charged emotions of the McCarthy era in a hard-hitting story set in suburban Chicago. "Cowboys have scars. Bad guys have scars. Sisters aren't supposed to have scars," thinks 12-year-old Tommy, who feels guilty after his older sister, Mary Lou, is severely burned while doing his chores. Tommy's mother, already volatile, becomes even more so, verbally and physically abusing Tommy. Tommy's own anger builds, and he hurts others in turn. He steals from the general store and, when reprimanded, plants a found copy of The Daily Worker at the store, putting its owner in jeopardy. Tommy and his friends also bully the storeowner's overweight son, "Little Skinny," who has burn scars and a dying mother. Levine creates a believably frustrated and overwhelmed protagonist in Tommy, who is goodhearted at his core, but struggles mightily to do the right thing as tragedies and setbacks rush at him. It's a thoughtful story about understanding and compassion, distinguished by complex characters and a supportive, tight-knit community. Ages 10 up.
