13 year old Arthur throws a brick at a junk man in his neighborhood. Fortunately, he misses and the old man ends up with a broken arm. Arthur ends up in juvenile detention, but at his court appearance the victim shows up and asks that instead of sending him to a detention sentence he instead works for him on Saturday mornings at his garage. He says the boy needs redemption. His job on Saturdays involves gathering seven different types of trash and junk from the neighborhood. Arthur finds the work unusual and difficult but knows that in order to stay out of a lock up sentence he needs to follow the rules. Eventually he uncovers the mystery of this man's junk and the art piece he is creating in the garage. He is creating heaven.
As I was reading this book, I thought it was a rather strange story but also a page turner. When I got to the end of the book, I discovered that the story was based on a true story about this art piece that is actually on display at the Smithsonian Art Institute. Truth is stranger than fiction! Here is a link to the artwork: http://americanart.si.edu/collections/search/artwork/?id=9897
There are a few swear words in the book but overall, it is a good book for middle school. It would appeal to both boys and girls. Because it was so strange at times, I wasn't sure I was going to like how it turned out - however, when I found out at the end of the book it was based on a true story the story redeemed itself! I give it a 3.5 out of 4. It is a good Division 2 book. The reading level is 5.1.
- Age Range: 10 and up
- Grade Level: 5 and up
- Lexile Measure: 0760
- Hardcover: 288 pages
- Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers (September 8, 2015)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0553497286
- ISBN-13: 978-0553497281
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