Tiltawhirl John

by Gary Paulsen

Overview

You have to take sides to survive—even if the choice tears you apart. From the Newbery Honor winning author of Hatchet,

His uncle wants him to stay home and work the farm, but the boy knows there's a world out there he has to see. Yet being a runaway means you're outside the law— you're fair game. That’s how he gets caught on the farm gang. There seems to be no way out, that is until Tiltawhirl John picks him up and teaches him how to be a carnie. How to stay one step ahead of the suckers. But there's one man from the past even T-John can't keep ahead of.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780140343120
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	09/01/1990
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	128
Product dimensions:	5.10(w) x 7.70(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	1020L (what's this?)
Age Range:	10 - 14 Years

About the Author

Gary Paulsen is one of the most honored writers of contemporary literature for young readers. He has written more than one hundred book for adults and young readers, and is the author of three Newberry Honor titles: Dogsong, Hatchet, and The Winter Room. He divides his time among Alaska, New Mexico, Minnesota, and the Pacific.

Editorial Reviews

First published in 1977, this gritty novel by the author of Hatchet features a 15-year-old runaway who hooks up with a carnie. Ages 12-up. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

This rediscovered gem from 1977 comes from prolific, three-time Newbery Honor winner Gary Paulsen. It’s the first-person account of an unnamed 15-year-old who leaves his uncle's farm and goes in search of "life, sex, and what it means to be a man." He ends up joining a group of migrant workers on a beet farm, where the work is drudgery and the boss is sadistic. Running away again, he settles into the somewhat sordid life of a carnival, where he works with "T-John," of the book's title. Todd Haberkorn brings a wide-eyed innocence to the voice of the youth. Listeners will wish Haberkorn would just keep going, telling us more tales about this kid's coming-of-age. Even though the story involves graphic violence, Haberkorn makes this idealistic boy into a friend listeners will miss as soon as he stops talking. M.C. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine

NOVEMBER 2012 - AudioFile