Overview
I'm not proud.I'm sixteen, and soon to be homeless.
Weary of his life with his alcoholic, abusive father, sixteen-year-old Billy packs a few belongings and hits the road, hoping for something better than what he left behind. He finds a home in an abandoned freight train outside a small town, where he falls in love with rich, restless Caitlin and befriends a fellow train resident, "Old Bill," who slowly reveals a tragic past. When Billy is given a gift that changes everything, he learns not only to how forge his own path in life, but the real meaning of family.
Synopsis
I'm not proud.
I'm sixteen, and soon to be homeless.
Weary of his life with his alcoholic, abusive father, sixteen-year-old Billy packs a few belongings and hits the road, hoping for something better than what he left behind. He finds a home in an abandoned freight train outside a small town, where he falls in love with rich, restless Caitlin and befriends a fellow train resident, "Old Bill," who slowly reveals a tragic past. When Billy is given a gift that changes everything, he learns not only to how forge his own path in life, but the real meaning of family.
Publishers Weekly
The third of Australian author Steven Herrick's free verse novels that began with Love, Ghosts, and Facial Hair, The Simple Gift, centers on 16-year-old Billy Luckett, who runs away from his alcoholic father to make his own way: "I'm poor, homeless/ but I'm not stupid." The poems are written from the points of view of Billy, Old Bill (who he meets while living in a train car) and Caitlin, Billy's love interest-a girl from a wealthy family who works at McDonald's. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
Editorials
Publishers Weekly
The third of Australian author Steven Herrick's free verse novels that began with Love, Ghosts, and Facial Hair, The Simple Gift, centers on 16-year-old Billy Luckett, who runs away from his alcoholic father to make his own way: "I'm poor, homeless/ but I'm not stupid." The poems are written from the points of view of Billy, Old Bill (who he meets while living in a train car) and Caitlin, Billy's love interest-a girl from a wealthy family who works at McDonald's. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.KLIATT
In the powerful style of Mel Glenn, Sonya Sones, Virginia Euwer Wolff, and David Levithan, Australian poet Herrick has etched a free-verse novel about independence, homelessness, and the forces that move human nature. Sixteen-year-old Billy Luckett leaves a destructive home life and finds shelter on an old freight car train. Meeting up with hobo Old Bill gives both characters an opportunity to know themselves. Billy eats leftovers from the garbage at a local McDonald's and fortunately connects with a wealthy teen, Caitlin, whose menial job is mopping the floors there. There is a genuine magnetic attraction between these kids and the free verse authenticates their feelings, their environments and the themes of the story. Chapters are marked by the characters' names and revealing quotes foreshadow each chapter. The reader is easily drawn into this lyrical format, as though one were listening to a musical ballad. The "simple gift" is a generous one, from Old Bill to Billy, but it also represents a metaphor for life in this poignant examination of family, social structure and the invisible face of homelessness. Billy has the strength of a champion and the story is uplifting in spite of tragic loss. This is a quick read with great depth and a wonderful title for endless discussion. KLIATT Codes: JS*—Exceptional book, recommended for junior and senior high school students. 2004, Simon & Schuster, Simon Pulse, 192p., Ages 12 to 18.—Nancy Zachary
VOYA
Australian poet Herrick's stream-of-consciousness free-verse novel follows sixteen-year-old Billy as he hops a freight train to run away from his abusive father. He lands in Bendarat, a once-thriving small town in western Australia, and moves into an abandoned train carriage. Stopping at McDonalds, Billy buys a small lemonade and helps himself to food left on tables. There he meets wealthy Caitlin, who surprises him by confessing "I hate mopping" instead of turning him in to the manager. Old Bill, living in the next carriage, is worn and gray before his time, drowning himself in beer to block out the memories of his dead wife and daughter. Billy brings food while Old Bill gives advice-how to live cheaply and where to find work. For Billy, Bendarat is perfect-a cozy carriage, a great library with a friendly librarian, a river to bathe in, a confidant in Old Bill, and a budding relationship with Caitlin. Billy has nothing to offer but the gift of friendship and a listening ear, but when the cops and welfare threaten, that simple gift is more than enough. Told in alternating voices, the story flows smoothly and seamlessly, a silent dialogue in the mind. Parts of Billy's life are not pretty, and the language is appropriately strong. Sex is present as Billy's relationship with Caitlin grows, but it is discrete and sweet. Fans of Herrick's companion novels, Love, Ghosts, and Facial Hair (Simon Pulse, 2004/VOYA June 2004) and A Place Like This (2004/VOYA June 2004), will find that his third novel is even better, telling a more compelling story with appeal for reluctant readers as well. VOYA CODES: 4Q 4P J S (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; Broad general YA appeal; JuniorHigh, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12). 2004, Simon & Schuster, 192p., Trade pb. Ages 12 to 18.—Roxy Ekstrom