The Loner (An Apple Paperback) [Paperback]

Ester Wier (Author)

Book Description

Series: An Apple Paperback | Publication Date: January 1992

The boy with no name doesn't remember his past; all he knows is that he has to survive, and that means picking fruit on various farms across the southwest. Staying with anyone who'll take him, he gives up all his wages for food and a place to sleep. Then he finds a loving home and realizes he is no longer a loner. A 1964 Newbery Honor book.

Product Details

• Paperback: 151 pages
• Publisher: Apple (January 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0590443526
• ISBN-13: 978-0590443524
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,042,018 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Haunting tale, still all too relevant, February 13, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Loner (An Apple Paperback) (Paperback)

I remember my fifth-grade teacher readings this book to our class. It has stayed with me for some thirty years--the homeless boy, nameless, finding an identity, a family, and a home. Boss was a powerful complex character, whose grief and loneliness I understand even then--and it is a tough book, in which David earns his right to be a part of a family and a community. Why has the sparse, touching book never been filmed?

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good book I would have liked to read with my class, June 30, 2001

By 

Matthew Gunia (Justice, Illinois) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Loner (An Apple Paperback) (Paperback)

This is another book I think my class would have liked and wish I could have read with them. I have to compliment the author on the first chapter of the book--we are introduced to the as-yet-nameless main character. Immediately the reader feels both pity and admiration for the boy who has no family, name or anyone to care for him. However, through the force of his own wits and will survives traveling across the country assisting in harvesting. Just as a minor character, the first we know of to care for the boy, is about to give him a name...the unexpected happens (I won't ruin it). The first chapter will hook the young reader (or in this case, the older reader), and lead him to a sheepherding ranch in Montana where the book turns to themes of family, responsibility, forgiveness and persistance. I would recommend it for teachers, parents and young adults.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars WILDERNESS BAPTISM, June 21, 2007

By 

Plume45 "kitka12345" (Westchester, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Loner (Hardcover)

A homeless, friendless, even Nameless youth travels alone in rural America as a migrant worker, with the vague idea of reaching the golden promises of California. Priding himself on his ability to look out for himself without any adult aid, the boy finally reaches Montana's sheep country, where he meets some people who actually grow to care about him as a person--not just as a day laborer. Can he overcome his natural (or acquired) suspicion and enforced independence to allow human emotions to enter and flow freely from his embittered heart?

Coming of age in the rugged wilderness of Montana this youth learns more than the responsibilities of the shepherd; he battles not only the primitive forces of hostile nature, but his own reckless impulses, plus an unreasonable jealousy of a young man he never even met. This unlikely protagonist determines to temporarily settle down and win the respect of the Boss. Many of the characters are driven to hunt down and destroy the Bear which killed the Boss' son. This Newbery Honor book includes plenty of action, as it presents a struggle for survival on two fronts: physical and social. For thoughtful readers from Middle School up.