Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly
First published in 1977, this gritty novel by the author of Hatchet features a 15-year-old runaway who hooks up with a carnie. Ages 12-up. (Sept.)
School Library Journal - Audio
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
NOVEMBER 2012 - AudioFile
This rediscovered gem from 1977 comes from prolific, three-time Newbery Honor winner Gary Paulsen. It’s the first-person account of an unnamed 15-year-old who leaves his uncle's farm and goes in search of "life, sex, and what it means to be a man." He ends up joining a group of migrant workers on a beet farm, where the work is drudgery and the boss is sadistic. Running away again, he settles into the somewhat sordid life of a carnival, where he works with "T-John," of the book's title. Todd Haberkorn brings a wide-eyed innocence to the voice of the youth. Listeners will wish Haberkorn would just keep going, telling us more tales about this kid's coming-of-age. Even though the story involves graphic violence, Haberkorn makes this idealistic boy into a friend listeners will miss as soon as he stops talking. M.C. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine
