Review: "Paperboy," by Vince Vawter

"Little Man," as he is affectionately known by his housekeeper, takes on his best friend's paper route for the month of July while his friend is away at a cousin's farm. It's not tough to throw papers, especially for a great baseball pitcher like Little Man, but he faces quite the challenge when it comes to collecting for the paper route. He has a debilitating stutter that grows more pronounced when he's stressed or anxious or angry. The people on the route are kind for the most part, and it's Little Man's struggle with the town's junk man that really gets the story going. I love the way the author incorporated his real-life struggle with a speech impediment and made it part of this story without making IT the story. It's more about small town life in the 1950s/1960s, on the cusp of forced integration, and the boy at the center who struggles with talking to people but loves words.

Mrs. Denney's Rating: ***1/2

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