Stacked Shelves

I was hoping Paperboy by Vince Vawter would be in Newbery contender when I first saw the book and ordered it for my library. And I gave it four stars on Goodreads because I liked it. But I didn’t love it. I think too much is packed into a little book and not enough gets fleshed out. The plot is built around a boy who stutters and who is taking over his friend’s paper route for the month of July. Along the way, he meets many people who help him grow – Mr. Spiro, who treats him as an equal; Mrs. Worthington, a beautiful lush; TV boy, who spends hours glued to the television set, among others. But the conflict in the book is confusing: Is it his stuttering? Is it what happens with his knife? Is it his relationship to his parents? It's just not clear. Additionally, kids aren't going to get that his mom is poorly educated but married well. And kids may not understand his discovery of being illegitimate. What kids will see instead that his mom doesn’t pay that much attention...

Those of you who read and love Neil Gaiman’s works know his books always take readers on adventures. I’m not sure how he did it, but he has two books out this year – one for adults and one for children – and both are magical. In The Ocean at the End of the Lane , the adult book, a young boy gets caught in a battle between ancient beings -- one malevolent, naturally, and the others, well, they are forces for good and older than the universe. The good ones (Lettie, her mother, and her grandmother) know how to keep the evil where it belongs, but our young protagonist cluelessly lets the bad ‘un into this world. Lettie vows to protect him by any means. And that’s all I’ll say. The novel is short, but it will linger in your memory, just as it does the protagonist’s, who is drawn back time and time again to the end of that lane. And just as our unnamed protagonist must relive that story over and over, you will have to read Gaiman’s Fortunately, the Milk a few times for the shee...