Finding Stinko [Hardcover]

Michael de Guzman (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up

Newboy hasn’t spoken in three years. One morning he opened his mouth and nothing came out. He doesn’t know why he stopped talking, but what he does know is that he’s through with the state child-care system. In twelve years he’s lived in eleven foster homes, and the Knoxes are the worst of the bunch. Now, with no voice, no family, and no exact plan, Newboy is running away for good. Living on the streets means danger and excitement around every corner, but the one thing Newboy never expected to find is a companion in the form of an old ventriloquist dummy lying in a Dumpster – a puppet with no hands, backward feet, and a chunk of its nose missing. Amazingly, this beat-up doll whom he dubs “Stinko” possesses a kind of magic that helps Newboy rediscover his ability to communicate.
 
This is a fast-paced adventure about a runaway kid figuring out not just what he’s searching for but also what he has to say.

 

Finding Stinko is a 2008 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5–8—In a prologue that sets the scene, Newboy's mother abandons him as an infant in a ritzy apartment building. After a brief rundown of his numerous foster placements, the story picks up with the boy, now 12, as he is dumped with the Knoxes, whose rigid schedule and uncaring routines provide his worst "home" yet. Some three years earlier, Newboy had simply stopped talking. Despite being tested and examined, he resists speaking and manages daily life in silence. Determined to escape the prisonlike foster home, he runs away and discovers "Stinko," a ventriloquist's dummy, in a garbage bin. Suddenly the words that Newboy would never let past his lips are coming out of Stinko's mouth. Life on the street is full of danger. Occasionally spotting the Knoxes' van as they search for him, Newboy finds allies and makes connections that help him survive. Stinko knows what needs to happen, even if he isn't very tactful or careful about expressing himself. In a world where redemption seems impossible, this parable of survival is riveting and yet manages a tender element while never lacking in bravado. Screenwriter de Guzman conveys a cinematic sense of events that keeps the pace moving and gives this short novel great reluctant-reader appeal.—Carol A. Edwards, Douglas County Libraries, Castle Rock, CO
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

A young runaway encounters particularly mean streets, but also find values worth clinging to in this gritty, engagingly offbeat page-turner. Again showing his knack for vivid characterizations, de Guzman, author of The Bamboozlers (2005), sends Newboy escaping from his eleventh--and worst--foster home into a hostile, run-down cityscape where he's repeatedly robbed and assaulted. But he also finds both a battered, smelly ventriloquist's dummy to do his talking (he's an elective mute) and a dancer with artificial feet who teaches him how to take chances without losing his balance. Readers will be riveted by Newboy's experiences as he struggles to elude his foster parents' relentless pursuit while meeting other street children--some dangerous, others who turn out to be real friends. John Peters
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR); 1st edition (April 17, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0374323054
• ISBN-13: 978-0374323059
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,789,263 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

After writing five novels for middle readers that were published by Farrar, Straus & Giroux, I am publishing my new book on my own. GROWING UP RITA is the story of twelve-year-old Rita Martinez, who was born in the United States to Alicia, who came here illegally from Mexico. When her mother is swept up in an immigration raid, Rita is left alone. She must find the courage and resourcefulness to survive while she tries to find her mother and get her back. Like my other books, this one is about a kid who populates the margins of society, who has something big to face, who takes action on her own behalf, and who is aided by adults who live on the margins themselves. A coming together of the world we live in and the world inside my head. My wife and I live in Seattle.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Found "Stinko," and it was GOOD, May 5, 2010

By 

Barbara B. Ullman - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Finding Stinko (Hardcover)

You know those books that are great stories but the writing is sort of lame? (You know which ones I mean). And then there are books that have really good prose and thoughtful turns of phrases, but they require a shock-collar-zap to make you turn the page because they are dullsville. And then there are books like "Finding Stinko."
DeGuzman's short novel has the right touch of thrifty prose and fast-paced plot, hitting the target exactly with fine writing and a fine story line. In it, the lifer foster-kid, Newboy, makes a break from his latest loveless foster home at the Knox's, who "made a business of their boys". Newboy hasn't been able to talk for years, probably because it wasn't worth the trouble. But once he's on the run, he finds a ratty ventrilaquist dummy in a dumptster, and names him Stinko. To Newboy's surprise and delight, Stinko does all the talking for him.
In this urban quest for freedom and family, Newboy and Stinko must elude bullies and crooks, cops and caretakers. The chase is on, and there is hardly a second for Newboy to feel sorry for himself, or the street kids who become his friends and enemies. "Stinko" is gritty without being profane. Its backdrop is hard but not hopeless. In the end, when Newboy sticks out his thumb with his two new buddies and a dummy, I was sure he was hitching to a far better place, and it was the beginning of something good.

4.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too, August 4, 2007

By 

TeensReadToo "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." (All Over the US & Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Finding Stinko (Hardcover)

A destitute teen mother abandons her infant in an apartment building, leaving a note with him, printed in childish block letters. "His name is Newboy. He is one week old. Please take care of him. I can't."

By the time Newboy is twelve years old he has stopped talking, and after a series of uncaring foster homes, he is sent to the worst one yet. Medical examinations and testing do not reveal a cause for his silence, but for Newboy, life is just easier that way. The Knoxes keep their flock of foster children on a very rigid schedule and all Newboy can think about is escaping to a freedom that he imagines will be much better.

When he does escape, he takes refuge in a garbage bin where he finds a foul-smelling and damaged ventriloquist's dummy. He names the doll "Stinko." Newboy is able to talk through the dummy and express himself for the first time in several years. Newboy meets other runaways like himself living on the dangerous streets and they form alliances that help them survive. Mr. and Mrs. Knox are relentlessly searching for him...after all, the State pays them for his care.

This is a touching story of hardship, survival, and the friendships of children struggling against nearly insurmountable odds. Newboy's innate sense of right and wrong and his moral values remain intact in spite of his troubles and the young hoodlums that confront him.

de Guzman keeps the tempo fast-paced and exciting, with a cast of wonderful, compelling characters, as Newboy dodges his foster parents and young thugs that mean him harm and races toward a satisfying climax. I highly recommend this book...the short length and rapid pace will make it especially attractive to reluctant readers.

Reviewed by: Grandma Bev