Tiltawhirl John

Gr 8–11—The 15-year-old main character, whose name is never divulged, runs away from his uncle's farm to seek fame and fortune. He works on a beet farm which is owned by a cruel man who takes advantage of the migrant workers and brutally beats the boy. The boy runs away again, hooking up with Tiltawhirl John, Billy, and Wanda, and is given a job as a carnie where he feels he fits right in. There's a lot of mature subject matter here—T-John murders a man from his past, Billy loses his virginity, and Wanda is a stripper. The sexual matters are referred to but are not explicit. Todd Haberkorn successfully conveys the young man's naivety, inability to read situations correctly, and his false bravado. Paulsen's unusual, well-paced story (Dutton, 1977) is most suitable for high school students.—B. Allison Gray, Goleta Library, CA