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.
Author
I grew up seeing hypocrisy pretty much everywhere I looked. I still see it. I believe it must be conquered. I think love, hope, romance and our imaginations are the best way to do it. Most of all I believe that kids get the short end of the stick. We pay lip service to the idea that they are the future, but we short change them. Kids don't have the vote. They don't have lobbyists because they don't have money. Everything about their lives is determined by adults, often to their detriment. I write about kids who populate the margins of society, who have something big to face in life, who take action on their own behalf, and who are aided along the way by adults who live on the margins themselves. I write about the world we live in, and the world inside my head. They tend to be quite different places. My latest novel for kids and parents, GROWING UP RITA, is the story of a mother and daughter caught up with the problems of immigration. MELONHEAD and BEEKMAN'S BIG DEAL are now available in paperback and as ebooks. I attended Trinity School in New York City, and the University of Rhode Island, where I met my wife. We live in Seattle, Washington with our dog, Banjo.
