"The Last Newspaper Boy in America" by Sue Corbett

I chose to review this book because it is included on the 3rd-5th grade list for the 2011-12 Oregon Battle of the Books (OBOB).

The Last Newspaper Boy in America
Author: Sue Corbett
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 10-13 years

SUMMARY
Wil David can't wait to turn 12 years old because it means that he will inherit the role of newspaper boy from his older brother, Sonny. Wil has been looking forward to this for a long time and has all but spent his first paycheck. Unfortunately, the day before Wil's birthday, the newspaper informs him that it plans to end its deliveries to the town of Steele, Pennsylvania. Now Wil is on a mission to save his job. Wil is encouraged by the support he receives from the local residents and soon learns that more than just his job is threatened by the newspaper's financially-driven decision. Along the way, Wil also manages to expose a scam at the carnival and, in the process, an enemy becomes an ally.

CRITIQUE
I applaud the author's portrayal of a small town struggling during an economic downturn and the fact that the residents learned a lesson about fighting for their own survival. The characters were interesting and believable with the exception of the older brother, Sonny. He provided much comic relief in an otherwise fairly depressing set of circumstances. While at times he was very funny, the humor felt a little forced. He was sometimes too outrageous in his simple-mindedness.

Overall, I enjoyed the storytelling. However, I was left puzzled by the carnival scam subplot. It was as if the author realized that a story about a boy trying to save his paper route wasn't very interesting and decided to throw in a story line about a carnival scam to add some excitement. I think her evaluation was correct. However, despite being entertaining, the carnival subplot felt like a distraction. In my opinion, the author failed to weave the story lines together effectively. Young readers may not notice, but more sophisticated readers will be left feeling dissatisfied at the end.

RATINGS
Disrespectful/Bad Attitude: Mild
Frightening/Suspenseful: None
Profanity: Mild
Sex: Mild
Substance Use: Mild
Mature Themes: None
Violence: Mild

SPECIFIC CONTENT
Disrespectful/Bad Attitude:
-In a rough draft of a letter, Wil calls the editor of a newspaper a 'nitwit' and a 'dweeb.'

Profanity:
-Words used include 'heck', 'booger', 'darn', 'knothead', 'jerk', and 'dang'.

Sex:
-Girls at fair described as wearing "itty-bitty shorts and bathing suit tops...one polka-dot top with only enough fabric for about six dots."

Substance Abuse:
-Wil smells cigarette smoke on a man's breath.

Violence:
-Scene described in newspaper as "an angry mob of fairgoers seized both men, first covering them in powdered sugar...then forcing them to act as targets in the water pistol 'balloon bust' booth."