"THE LAST NEWSPAPER BOY IN AMERICA," by Sue Corbett, Dutton, 208 pages, $16.99 (ages 8-12)
Flinging newspapers onto porches from a bicycle is almost a lost employment opportunity for young people in today's world.
Sue Corbett writes of that past era when Wil, just turning 12, takes over the newspaper route from his older brother.
Delivering the Cooper County Caller in small-town Steele, Penn., was a David family legacy — Wil's family has been the newspaper carriers for generations. And Wil has developed a perfect "arm" for the job.
But when Wil finds out that the newspaper plans to discontinue home delivery to Steele to cut costs, he is upset. "You can't just stop delivering the newspaper to a whole town. It's, it's … un-American!"
Thus Wil begins a campaign to change the editors' decision.
Losing the paper route isn't Wil's only problem. He suspects there's cheating in a popular game of chance at the county fair, and he uses his interest in aerodynamics to disclose the graft.
Wil appears in headlines, and the newspaper is forced to rescind its plans to stop the home delivery.
"The Last Newspaper Boy in America" has so much going for it. Corbett's realistic and memorable characters could hopefully live right next door.
Wil is a personality-plus boy, not yet a teen, who has been home-schooled because he can't conform to the processes of public school structure.
His self-determination — some might call it hyperactivity — keeps his mother/teacher and the librarians busy finding answers for his overzealous curiosity.
Even though Wil's father has lost his job, he is upbeat and optimistic as a constant for the family. (There are so few solid father figures in today's fiction for youth.)
Wil has trustworthy brothers and supportive customers, each of which Corbett has portrayed in enough detail to stage a community with unity.
The subplot of the family's financial hardships is certainly timely for today's readers. The positive outcomes make this a welcome and spirited read.
e-mail: marilou.sorensen@att.net