Paperboy

　　一個結巴男孩，在代班送報的那個夏天，學會了比說話更重要的事……



　　11歲的「小男人」投的球是全鎮上最快又最猛的！但他一開口可就不是那麼一回事了……因為他只要一說話就會結巴，連自己的名字都唸不好。當他整個七月必須幫忙好朋友送報時，和陌生人互動就成了艱鉅的挑戰。



　　送報途中會遇到常喝醉酒的婦人、愛看書的商船船員、總是沉默的電視男孩等形形色色的人們，而其中一位拾荒男子，不僅是名惡霸和小偷，更讓他和最好的朋友陷入了生命危險……



　　美國圖書館協會傑出童書

　　國際閱讀協會兒童和青少年評選最愛童書

　　國際閱讀協會家長評選最愛童書

　　美國貝克教育學院年度最佳童書

　　美國國家親子出版獎銀獎

　　美國書評網站BookPage年度最佳童書

　　美國青少年圖書館協會選書

　　美國亞馬遜網路書店當月注目選書



國外好評



　　精心雕琢的人物、炙熱的美國南部夏季和少年的成長，都讓人聯想到《梅崗城故事》，而這本書更出色的拓展了讀者的視野，讓我們能從一位結巴男孩的角度來讀故事。――美國《書單》雜誌



　　一個充滿張力、令人難忘的故事。――美國《出版人週刊》



　　精巧的用語、真實的背景和古怪的角色，成功融合起來讓這本書非常值得閱讀……既迷人又真誠的呈現會結巴的主角「小男人」在成長過程所面臨的艱辛。――美國《柯克思書評》



　　作者筆下的主角是如此真實，讓人不禁同情有語言表達困難的人的辛苦；然而，這個故事還有更大的吸引力，隨著主角逐漸成長，他開始重新定義自己與父母的關係、思索未來的抱負，並且探索自己剛萌芽的靈魂。――美國《學校圖書館期刊》



　　主角「小男人」的刻劃非常深入且真誠……他熱切的希望自己能為別人做些什麼，而不只是個無法好好說話的孩子。――美國《華盛頓郵報》



　　《送報生的夏天》讓讀者可以體會到有結巴的人每天要面對的挫折。不論男女老幼，每個人一定都會跟我一樣喜歡這個故事，但對曾跟結巴奮鬥過的人來說，這本書更是意義重大。――珍‧佛雷瑟，美國結巴基金會董事長



　　——中文簡介擷取自《送報生的夏天》，小天下出版    　

*＂Reminiscent of To Kill a Mockingbird.＂ --Booklist, Starred

＂An unforgettable boy and his unforgettable story. I loved it!＂ --ROB BUYEA, author of Because of Mr. Terupt and Mr. Terupt Falls Again

This Newbery Honor winner is perfect for fans of To Kill a Mockingbird, The King’s Speech, and The Help. A boy who stutters comes of age in the segregated South, during the summer that changes his life.

Little Man throws the meanest fastball in town. But talking is a whole different ball game. He can barely say a word without stuttering--not even his own name. So when he takes over his best friend’s paper route for the month of July, he’s not exactly looking forward to interacting with the customers. But it’s the neighborhood junkman, a bully and thief, who stirs up real trouble in Little Man’s life.

A Newbery Honor Award Winner
An ALA-ALSC Notable Children’s Book
An IRA Children’s and Young Adults’ Choice
An IRA Teachers’ Choice
A Bank Street College of Education Best Book of the Year
A National Parenting Publications Award Honor Book
A BookPage Best Children’s Book
An ABC New Voices Pick
A Junior Library Guild Selection
An ALA-ALSC Notable Children’s Recording
An ALA-YALSA Amazing Audiobook
A Mississippi Magnolia State Award List Selection

＂[Vawter’s] characterization of Little Man feels deeply authentic, with . . . his fierce desire to be ’somebody instead of just a kid who couldn’t talk right.’＂ --The Washington Post

＂Paperboy offers a penetrating look at both the mystery and the daily frustrations of stuttering. People of all ages will appreciate this positive and universal story.＂ --Jane Fraser, president of the Stuttering Foundation of America

*＂[A] tense, memorable story.＂ --Publishers Weekly, Starred

＂An engaging and heartfelt presentation that never whitewashes the difficult time and situation as Little Man comes of age.＂ --Kirkus Reviews

＂Vawter portrays a protagonist so true to a disability that one cannot help but empathize with the difficult world of a stutterer.＂ --School Library Journal

VINCE VAWTER, a native of Memphis, retired after a forty-year career in newspapers, most recently as the president and publisher of the Evansville Courier & Press in Indiana. Paperboy is his first novel.