Tap cover to enlarge

The Paper Cowboy

Published
Sep 2014
Main Genre
Historical Historical
Rating
Pages
368

About This Book

Though he thinks of himself as a cowboy, Tommy is really a bully. He's always playing cruel jokes on classmates or stealing from the store. But Tommy has a reason: life at home is tough. His abusive mother isn't well; in fact, she may be mentally ill, and his sister, Mary Lou, is in the hospital badly burned from doing a chore it was really Tommy's turn to do. To make amends, Tommy takes over Mary Lou's paper route. But the paper route also becomes the perfect way for Tommy to investigate his neighbors after stumbling across a copy of The Daily Worker, a communist newspaper.

Tommy is shocked to learn that one of his neighbors could be a communist, and soon fear of a communist in this tight-knit community takes hold of everyone when Tommy uses the paper to frame a storeowner, Mr. McKenzie. As Mr. McKenzie's business slowly falls apart and Mary Lou doesn't seem to get any better, Tommy's mother's abuse gets worse causing Tommy's bullying to spiral out of control.

Poignantly written, Kristin Levine proves herself a master of gripping and affecting historical fiction.

Genres & Themes

Subgenres

Buy This Book

Formats & Editions

Browse the different covers, formats, and publication history for this title.

Paperback

Paperback edition cover
Paperback
Mar 2016 Puffin ISBN 0142427152
Buy

Hardcover

Hardcover edition cover
Hardcover
First Edition Sep 2014 Putnam ISBN 039916328X
Buy
Hardcover edition cover
Hardcover
Mar 2016 Turtleback Books ISBN 0606383948
Buy

eBook

eBook edition cover
eBook
Sep 2014 Penguin ISBN 0698171748
Buy
eBook edition cover
eBook
Nov 2014 Putnam Juvenile ISBN B00INIXKOY
Buy

Audio

Audio edition cover
Audible
Oct 2014 Listening Library ISBN B00O4D311O
Buy
Audio edition cover
Audio CD
Nov 2014 Listening Library ISBN 0553396595
Buy
Audio edition cover
Audio CD
Nov 2014 Listening Library ISBN 0553396617
Buy