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Friendship, loyalty, and compassion are the recurring themes in this touching story by Kimberly Willis Holt. The story takes place in a small town called Antler, Texas. Toby Wilson, the thirteen-year-old narrator, feels that nothing interesting ever happens in that town. Then one summer, a small trailer arrives claiming to carry inside it, �The Fattest Boy In The World.� Toby is one of the many who stands in line and witnesses the �freak� inside the trailer. Not for one second does he foresee that Zachary Beaver, �the largest human being [Toby] has ever seen� wold come to be one of his best friends and one of those unforgettable people we are fortunate to meet only once in a lifetime. In |
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this coming-of-age story, young Toby is dealing with his parents� separation, the fact that his mother is gone for good, and his best friend�s brother getting shipped to Vietnam. Aside from that, he is dealing with the fact that his friend has never written to his brother, and feels that if he �had a brother in Vietnam that wrote letters saying what a neat brother I was, I�d always write him back.� When Cal and Toby meet Zachary, they do not hit it off very well. However, when Zachary�s manager takes off and leaves the trailer stranded in the town, it is these two boys who first lend him a hand. Although it is sheer curiosity at first, the boys soon realize that they genuinely care for Zachary, the boy who claims to have traveled the world and climbed the Eiffel Tower. It soon becomes apparent that, not only has he never done these things, but he has never even left the small trailer he travels in. They eventually learn that Zachary has also never been baptized the way his mother would have liked. With the help of the two boys and several other town residents, Zachary�s dream is made a reality.
The author remarkably brings all the characters to life, specially Toby, who has a good heart and deep thoughts on siblings, friendship, and parents. The narrating is done in the way a young boy would express himself. When reading about the heaviest man in the world, he learns that, �he died when he was thirty-two years old and was buried in a piano case...I wonder if that�s Zachary Beaver�s destiny.� When the boys realize the river could be used to baptize Zachary, the narrator says, �And in this moment, I realize one reason it�s so great to have a best friend is sometimes, like right now, Cal and I are thinking the very same thing.� When they help Zachary fulfill his dream, Toby learns the biggest lesson of all: sometimes the best way to heal your broken heart is by helping others mend theirs. Soon he begins to understand his parents� separation and accept the fact that his mother has left. The Hornbook Guide says that in this novel, �Holt reveals the freak in all of us, and the power of redemption.� A touching story worthy of the National Book Award it was presented.
Holt, Kimberly W. 1999. When Zachary Beaver Came to Town. New York: Henry Holt and
Company, ISBN: 0-8050-6116-9. |
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