Paperboy

By: Vince Vawter

Narrated by: Lincoln Hoppe, Vince Vawter

*"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

Critic reviews

Starred Review, Publishers Weekly, March 18, 2013:
“[A] tense, memorable story.”

Starred Review, Booklist, April 15, 2013:
“The well-crafted characters, the hot Southern summer, and the coming-of-age events are reminiscent of To Kill a Mockingbird… This paper boy is a fighter and his hope fortifies and satisfies in equal measure.”

"An unforgettable boy and his unforgettable story. I loved it."—Rob Buyea, author of Because of Mr. Terupt and Mr. Terupt Falls Again

"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 as I did, but it will be particularly meaningful to anyone who has ever struggled with stuttering."—Jane Fraser, president of The Stuttering Foundation of America

"[A] compelling first-person narrative." —The Washington Post

"A memorable coming-of-age novel." —School Library Journal

“In a compelling climax, he, still stuttering, proudly announces his real name; the moment is as eloquent as his story.” —The Horn Book

Intelligent and innocent, a perfect story

Through the eyes of a young traveler in life, the journey told in "Paperboy" is so honest, insightful, and triumphant that it is now my "go to" story for motivation and inspiration.

Most Amazing, Beautiful book, but age range needs to be raised a tiny bit more!

One of the most beautiful, and interesting books ever! I feel like this helps raise awareness of speech impediments, and really describes how hard it can be to have one. Although this book is wonderful, the age range shows to “10 & up,” which maybe be at least 2 years raised than what it is already. It includes few “B” words some “A” words, and some violence, which I don’t think is too much of and issue, but I’m just being mindful :) Narrator was great, I love this book so much!

Great book

My boys and I enjoyed listening to the story.
Great lessons around the difficulties of life for a young stuttering boy in the late 50s

Great book my favorite!

Paper boy is my favorite book I am a 9 year old boy a d my name is Owen White and I read this book with my Mom I do not think there were any parts I disliked in the book. I think it's a good book from 9 to 10 and up it made me cry it made me laugh it made me happy but I highly recommend it 9 and up for adults to. This book also has positive remodels and positive messages it should take you a month to read. 😀😬😍😅😡🤔😭 those are all of the emotions that you feel read paper boy!

Paperboy Delivers!

As a speech-language pathologist working with people who stutter, I was enthralled and impressed with this story in the life of an 11-year-old male during a significant summer in the tumultuous times of Memphis in 1959. This memoir is relevant reading for any person interested in the unique complexities of communication.

great story...even better narrator

i loved it. was a sweet thought provoking story. im glad I listened to it.

touching and inspiring

An authentic and beautiful story about learning to understand and the importance of facing hard individual circumstances with fortitude and support.

Great story line

Great story line. Never know how stuttering can have such a great impact on your life. This book was excellent in describing how one can overcome it and how you don’t let your stuttering define you as a person and who you will become I am a 13 year old and this was a great read very interested. Glad I chose to read this book. Thank you.

loved it

This was a great book. I dont give out 5 stars very often, but I loved this book.

Loved it!

Awesome story and good narration! This was a really easy story to listen to, and we so enjoyed it that we will ptobably listen to it multiple times.