Finding Stinko (Hardcover)

by Michael de Guzman (Author) "The military nature of the foster establishment run by Mr. and Mrs. Knox was a big problem for Newboy..." (more)
Key Phrases: dancing man, green van, Miami Beach, Queen Street, Squamish Falls (more...)

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

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• 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: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #791,082 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

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

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

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