The Seventh Most Important Thing

by Shelley Pearsall
Lexile:  760
Genre:  Realistic Fiction

Arthur Owens didn't mean to hurt anyone.  He was just angry.  Angry that his dad had to die.  Angry that the old Junk Man stole his dad's hat.  So Arthur threw a brick at him which caused him to fall and break his arm.  Arthur has been sent to juvenile detention and is waiting to hear his sentence.  Just as Arthur is about to be sentenced, the Junk Man, James Hampton speaks up.  He requests a meeting with the judge.  When the judge returns, he announces that Arthur will be given 120 hours of community service that will be supervised by the Junk Man.  Arthur is given a rickety old shopping cart and a list of 7 things that he has to find in the garbage.  At first the list seems random, and Arthur doesn't take it very seriously. But then he learns that Mr. Hampton might actually be trying to teach him something.  Could throwing that brick be the best thing that ever happened to both of them?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Who Wants a Tortoise?

Image
by Dave Keane Illustrated by K.G. Campbell Lexile:  610 Genre:  Realistic Fiction Who wants a tortoise?  Emily doesn't.  She wants a dog.  But she got a tortoise instead.  Her tortoise can't do anything that a dog can do.  When her tortoise goes missing, Emily and her friends have to head out into the neighborhood to find him and bring him home.  Maybe having a tortoise isn't such a bad deal after all!
Read more

Squished

Image
 by Megan Wagner Lloyd and Michelle Mee Nutter Genre:  Realistic Fiction, Graphic Novel Avery Lee loves living in Hickory Valley, Maryland even though her large family can really get on her nerves sometimes.  She loves her neighborhood and her friends and is looking forward to starting middle school.  She is also hoping to impress her parents with a presentation she has made on why she deserves to get her own room.  But before she can deliver her presentation, her parents tell her that her older brother will get his own room and she will know have 3 younger siblings to share with!  And just when she thinks things can't get worse, her parents announce that the family might be moving! Avery knows one thing for sure...growing up can really have its challenges.
Read more

We Own the Sky

Image
 by Rodman Philbrick Genre:  Historical Fiction When Jo and Davy's mother dies, their cousin Ruthie shows up to take care of them.  Ruthie is the star of a flying circus so Jo and Davy join her on tour.  Davy sells popcorn and Jo decides she is interested in learning how to be an aviatrix too.  As the circus moves throughout Maine, they encounter some evil Ku Klux Klan members who seek to destroy their business.  Davy, Jo, and Ruthie will have to get creative to defeat their enemies and keep the flying circus in the air.
Read more