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Paperboy (novel) facts for kids

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Paper Boy
Paperboy cover.jpg
Author Vince Vawter
Illustrator Illustrator
Country U.S.A
Language English
Genre Novel
Publisher Delacorte Press
Publication date
 5/14/2013
Media type Print
Pages Pages pp224
ISBN 978-0-385-74244-3

Paperboy is a young adult novel written by Vince Vawter in 2013. This book was recognized as a Newbery Medal Honor Book in 2014, which is a special award for excellent children's literature.

About the Author's Inspiration

Vince Vawter wrote Paperboy because it's a very personal story for him. It's almost like a memoir, which is a true story about someone's life. The book is inspired by his own experience with a speech impediment, also known as a stutter, that he has had since he was a child.

He shared that dealing with this challenge throughout his life has actually made him stronger. He learned that even though it was difficult, it helped him develop inner strength and a unique perspective on life.

What the Story is About

The story of Paperboy takes place in Memphis in 1959. The main character is an eleven-year-old boy named Victor, who everyone calls "Little Man." Victor has a stutter, which makes it hard for him to speak smoothly.

His best friend, Rat, is going to visit his grandparents. So, Little Man bravely agrees to take over Rat's paper route for a while. This new responsibility leads Little Man to meet many different people and face new challenges. It's a journey where he learns a lot about life.

During his paper route, Little Man meets various customers. He also has a difficult encounter with Ara T, a junkman in the neighborhood who is a bully and causes trouble. Little Man's Mam (his housekeeper) had warned him to stay away from Ara T. This encounter puts both Little Man and Mam in a dangerous situation.

Victor starts to think deeply about what it means to have a "soul." He often talks with Mr. Spiro, a wise merchant sailor he met on his route. Mr. Spiro has many interesting stories and helps Little Man understand the world better. Victor also sees Mrs. Worthington, a woman facing personal struggles, and hopes she finds happiness.

He makes a new friend on his route, a boy who is deaf and learns to lip-read by watching TV. Little Man also finds the courage to tell his mother that the food she thinks is his favorite actually isn't. He also learns that his dad is not his birth father, but he cherishes their loving relationship and wants to make it even stronger.

Mr. Spiro tells Little Man that he will soon leave on one of his merchant ships. Before he goes, he gives Little Man a special gift: a cut-up dollar bill with four important words written on it. By the end of the book, Victor has grown so much that he can speak several full sentences in front of his class. For the first time, he even says his own name clearly.

Victor tells Mam that he has learned a very important lesson: what he says is more important than how he says it. He realizes that his "soul doesn't stutter." The story ends with a surprising twist: Victor himself typed the entire book you just read.

Main Characters

  • Victor Vollmer / "Little Man" - An 11-year-old boy who stutters. He takes on a new responsibility, a paper route, and learns a lot from the new experiences around him.
  • Mam - A caring housekeeper who works hard to make sure "Little Man" is treated well and protected.
  • Arthur "Rat" - "Little Man's" good friend whose paper route Victor covers.
  • Ara T - A junkman who is a bully and causes problems for "Little Man" and Mam.
  • Mrs. Worthington - A sad woman who is dealing with personal difficulties.
  • Mr. Spiro - A smart traveler with a lot of patience. He helps "Little Man" understand many things he is curious about.
  • TV Boy (Paul P.) - A boy who is deaf and watches TV to practice lip-reading. He later becomes friends with Victor.
  • Parents - Victor's loving mother and the father who raised him, even though he is not Victor's birth father.
  • Mr. Worthington - Mrs. Worthington's husband.
  • Coach - Victor's baseball coach.
  • Big Sack - A friend of Ara T who also mows Victor's parents' lawn.

Awards and Recognition

Paperboy has received many awards and honors, showing how much it was loved by readers and critics:

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