Runt: Story of a Boy

Synopsis

Rejected by his aunts who take in three of his sisters following their mother's death, 13-year-old Robert Remick, nicknamed Runt, is offered a home by his estranged older sister, Helen, who lives in a trailer with her sinister boyfriend, Cole. His family's poverty and despair had kept Runt an outsider and now he refuses to attend school in the new place, instead spending his days exploring the town and collecting empty cans for pocket money. Drawn to the serenity of a nearby cemetery, he meets wheelchair-bound Mitch Curran, a spirited, intelligent boy who is determined to befriend him despite his resistance. It is quickly apparent that Mitch is in the final stages of cancer, refusing further treatment, and the boys open up to one another's pain. Robert visits Mitch almost daily until his death, and his friendship and support are rewarded with the Currans' kindness to him. Runt's father's abandonment, his mother's religious rigidity, the deaths of his two baby sisters, and Cole's verbal and physical abuse weigh down this bleak story, but the conclusion, if somewhat implausible, is hopeful. The writing is sometimes self-conscious, but characterization is good and readers will respond to the plight of two desperate boys and the people who make a difference in their lives.-Marie Orlando, Suffolk Cooperative Library System, Bellport, NY Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Copyright:

2006

Book Details

Book Quality:

Excellent

Book Size:

188 Pages

ISBN-13:

9781571316615

Publisher:

Milkweed Editions

Date of Addition:

09/29/10

Copyrighted By:

V. M. Caldwell

Adult content:

No

Language:

English

Has Image Descriptions:

No

Categories:

Children's Books, Health, Mind and Body, Literature and Fiction, Parenting and Family

Submitted By:

Alex Souby

Proofread By:

Tomoko Miles

Usage Restrictions:

This is a copyrighted book.