A Small White Scar [Paperback]

K. A. Nuzum (Author)

Book Description

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

Dreams always have a price

Will can see his future stretch out before him. It's as clear as the plains that lead to La Junta and the first-place winnings at the rodeo. He will become a man, a cowboy with a life of his own. But his twin brother, Denny, follows, bringing with him the memory of that small white scar. Ahead lies adventure; behind, responsibility. And on the road between, Will and Denny will travel together—brothers united by blood.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Starred Review. Grade 5-8–Since the death of their mother seven years earlier, Will, 15, has been responsible for his disabled twin. His desire to help on his father's ranch, ride off to the rodeo, prove himself as a man, and escape being his brother's caregiver is the pivot of the plot; the fact that Denny follows him, showing himself to be just as tenacious and stubborn as Will, drives the plot to another level. The unique bond shared by the boys is aptly described. Will is repelled by Denny and his needs, but he is also fiercely protective of him. He does get to the rodeo, and the description of his rides is exciting and realistic, bringing the arena to life. In the end, Will finally has a chance to talk to his father. Not all problems are resolved, but Nuzum leaves readers with the hope that both Will and Denny will be able to begin their lives as adults relatively unhampered by the past. The images of the stark 1940s Colorado countryside suffering from drought, and the wild animals that populate it, are clearly drawn with poetic turns of phrase. Characters, plot, and theme all combine to make a compelling story. Although Will is the narrator, readers also hear the voice of Denny through dialogue and through Will's projections of his brother's thoughts. Nuzum clearly knows her rodeo and she knows how to evoke a teen's ambivalent feelings toward a disabled sibling. A thoughtful, perceptive story, beautifully told.–Wendy Smith-D'Arezzo, Loyola College, Baltimore, MD
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

Gr. 6-9. Since his mother's death, Will's job has been to look after his twin brother, Denny, who has Down syndrome. Their father's word is law on the ranch, and 15-year-old Will knuckles under as the story begins. But he soon devises an escape plan that leads toward the rodeo, and beyond, to spending his days as a cowboy without the responsibility of watching his brother. When Denny follows Will across the plains, that plan takes an unexpected twist, leading Will to confront the people he loves and hates most and forcing changes in all their lives. Set in Colorado in 1940, the novel transports readers to a vividly realized setting as the boys move across the country on horseback and encounter hazards from a poisonous snake to a swollen river. But external dangers are not the engine driving the plot. Will's frustration, determination, and flashes of anger give the story its momentum as he struggles to emerge from his childhood and finds no clear path toward becoming an adult. Part family tale, part adventure, part journey narrative, this coming-of-age story has an emotional core that will touch even readers who never dreamed of competing in a rodeo. An unusually fine first novel. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins; Reprint edition (September 30, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060756411
• ISBN-13: 978-0060756413
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,279,904 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A beautifully touching story about the relationship between brothers and between father and son, January 4, 2007

By 

Teenreads.com (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Small White Scar (Hardcover)

The summer of 1940 promises to be a dry one as a drought drags through Colorado. The lakes quickly shrink down to mud holes and the grass grows scarcer everyday, a definite danger to the Bennon cattle ranch. Fifteen-year-old Will Bennon could be a big help to his father; he has the skills and talents of an adult ranch hand. But his father insists on holding him back, hindering Will by forcing him to keep a constant eye on his twin brother, Denny.

Even though Will and Denny are twins, sharing a birthday is one of the few things they have in common. Denny has Down's syndrome; he can't read, can barely put on his shoes correctly, and needs almost constant supervision. Despite these obstacles, Denny can do many things. He collects the eggs from the hen house everyday, counting them as he goes. He can ride his horse, Scooty, though he often falls when dismounting. And he is always ready with a big smile to share.

But ever since they were born, and even more so after their mother accidentally drowned, Will has been weighed down with his brother's care. Will rather would be out helping his father with the ranch, using his riding and roping skills that he has practiced so diligently to be considered the man he wants to become. But his dad refuses to listen.

Believing his father will never allow him to be a man, Will takes his dreams a step further on his own. He must leave the Bennon Ranch. First, he will prove his ranching skills by entering La Junta Rodeo. There is big money to be made in the calf-roping and bull-riding events, more than Will could make in a whole year. Then he'd sign on with one of the other ranches, whichever one offers to pay the most after witnessing his talents at the rodeo. That would tide him over until the following rodeo season. Of course he wouldn't forget his family; he'd send money home to help out and eventually come back for a visit. But this was something he had to do, to get out from under his brother and start his own life.

A few days before the rodeo, Will sneaks away from the ranch riding his good friend and trusty horse, Deep. However, he doesn't get very far before he finds Denny following him. And it seems nothing will deter Denny --- not a rattlesnake bite, not the sudden thunderstorms, not the dangerously swollen river crossing. Fighting anger and resentment, Will finally allows Denny to ride along; somehow he will figure a way to get his brother home after the rodeo. What Will doesn't think about is how truly important his brother is to him.

K. A. Nuzum has written a beautifully touching story about the love and animosity between brothers, and between father and son. Set in the ranching wild west, A SMALL WHITE SCAR will especially touch horse lovers and rodeo fans, with in-depth and heartfelt descriptions of galloping through fragrant fields of sagebrush and desperately clinging to the back of a bucking bull. And most can sympathize with the anguish of loving someone who drives you a bit nuts.

--- Reviewed by Chris Shanley-Dillman, author of FINDING MY LIGHT and THE BLACK POND.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars It's your misfortune, ain't none of my own, October 9, 2006

By 

E. R. Bird "Ramseelbird" (Manhattan, NY) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Small White Scar (Hardcover)

Cowboys are cool. They always have been and they always will be. It's just a fact of life, really. Like pirates, they capture the childish imagination (though we've yet to host an International Talk Like a Cowboy Day as of yet). Who wouldn't want to be able to say they could rope a buck, tame a steer, or ride a bull? It's kind of funny, then, that there aren't that many cowboy books out there for kids. You get the regular smattering of picture books, of course, and there's usually at least one non-fiction title published every year for the true fans. Chapter books, however, are less common than you might think. Thanks goodness for "A Small White Scar", then, eh? Part cowboy drama, part tale of brotherly love and hate, first-time novelist (and east Colorado native) K.A. Nazum gives this book her all. It's a nice voice and a nice book and I think that that's all there is to say about that.

1940. Colorado. The Bennon Cattle Company. Mesa de Maya. It's the only place Will Bennon has ever called his home and if he doesn't get out of there as fast as humanly possible he's going to burst into two. For fifteen years Will has grown up alongside his twin brother Denny and for the last seven he's had to "play nursemaid". Denny was born, as they say on the farm, "simple", but his devotion to Will knows no bounds. It shouldn't come as a surprise then that when Will lits out to rope some fame and fortune at a rodeo in La Junta, Denny follows with inescapable tenacity. Will's fighting his desire to escape Denny at whatever the cost and to help his brother as he's done all his life. To his mind it comes down to this: If he stays on the ranch he'll go stir-crazy and never make a name for himself. But does that mean hurting the person who loves him best in the whole wide world? Is it worth it in the end?

To Will, his father's admonishment to "Take care of your brother. Look after him", is the worst thing that could ever happen to him. "It took me a while to figure it out, but by the time I was twelve or so, I knew the only way I could ever escape the trap of those words was to chew my leg off just like a coyote would in order to free himself." So it's just bad luck that that leg happens to be Denny. The authorial choice of making Denny Will's twin rather than his younger brother interested me particularly. There's a reoccurring motif in the book where Will dreams that he and Denny have switched bodies and now he's the one with problems and Denny is in his own skin. Right from the start Nuzum is challenging the reader. She's throwing a great big There But For the Grace of God Go I in your face and I'm darned if it doesn't make the reader stop and think a while. I mean, it could have easily have been Will rather than Denny born with what I suspect might be (though it's never named) Down Syndrome. Which might be fairly impressive in and of itself, except that she manages to do it by page FIVE. Nicely played, Ms. Nuzum.

Nuzum also gets the flavor of the West down pat. You understand the lure of such a life and the desire that drives Will to be a part of it. The story of whether or not he can escape his job as his brother's keeper is completely understandable too. Will feels that his father ignores his other talents and sees him entirely as a babysitter rather than a cowhand. Fortunately his dad gets a say at the end of the book that shows a different point of view and, more importantly, he apologises.

So will kids read this book? I think so. Sometimes a book is only as good as its first chapter. We've all gone into bookstores and perused the first few lines of a story in an attempt to determine how exciting the book to come will be. Well this book has rattlers, killer coyotes, a near-death injury, bull-riding, a treacherous river, and a fight, alongside a good story and some fine writing. If that's not enough for a child reader you know, hand `em some fantasy and be done with `em. If, on the other hand, they're interested in some historical fiction with a bit of bite and a Western taste, "A Small White Scar" has their number. A smart debut.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars touching, July 1, 2007

By 

Melissa Sack (georgia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Small White Scar (Hardcover)

Will and Denny are twin brothers and alike in many ways. They share the same birthday but Denny is developmentally delayed. They live and work on a ranch. Their mother died when the boys were young. It seems to Will that his father expects him to just look after Denny and never allows him to do really work on the ranch. Will decides to run off and join the rodeo. A twist of events happens when Denny follows Will.