Belle Prater's Boy
(newbery Honor Book)
Square Fish · Print & ebook · May 22, 2012
Ruth White's Belle Prater's Boy is the Newbery Honor Book about two kids who form a life-changing friendship while unraveling a mysterious disappearance in 1950s Western Virginia. “An admirable, stirring book.” ―The New York Times Book Review Around 5:00 a.m. on a warm Sunday morning on October 1953, my Aunt Belle left her bed and vanished from the face of the earth.
We earn from qualifying purchases.
- Who it’s for
- A warm, character-centered YA read with classic Newbery Honor appeal.
- Genres
- 20th-Century US YA
- Published
- Square Fish, May 22, 2012
Nearest books
Matched by what the books are about, then ordered by what their readers also loved.
What HeartsBruce Brooks49% match
Across Five AprilsIrene Hunt48% match
Hattie Big SkyKirsten Potter, Kirby Larson52% matchShares 20th-Century US YA
Piecing Me TogetherRenée Watson51% match
Monday's Not ComingTiffany D. Jackson48% match
The Truth About HorsesChristy Cashman54% match
The Peach RebellionWendelin Van Draanen54% matchShares 20th-Century US YA
When the Ground Is HardMalla Nunn54% match
For younger readers: The Wrong Way Home, The Book of Boy, Zora and Me
Start with three books, and this one can be the first.
Members get a new edition every morning: a route out from their books to essays, research and talks, with the reason for each.
Start with this bookAbout this book
Ruth White's Belle Prater's Boy is the Newbery Honor Book about two kids who form a life-changing friendship while unraveling a mysterious disappearance in 1950s Western Virginia. “An admirable, stirring book.” ―The New York Times Book Review Around 5:00 a.m. on a warm Sunday morning on October 1953, my Aunt Belle left her bed and vanished from the face of the earth.
Continue reading
Everyone in Coal Station, Virginia, has a theory about what happened to Belle Prater, but twelve-year-old Gypsy wants the facts, and when her cousin Woodrow, Aunt Belle's son moves next door, she has her chance. Woodrow isn't as forthcoming as Gypsy hopes, yet he becomes more than just a curiosity to her—during their sixth-grade year she finds that they have enough in common to be best friends. Even so, Gypsy is puzzled by Woodrow's calm acceptance of his mother's disappearance, especially since she herself has never gotten over her father's death. When Woodrow finally reveals that he's been keeping a secret about his mother, Gypsy begins to understand that there are different ways of finding the strength to face the truth, no matter how painful it is.
Why It Clicks
A warm, character-centered YA read with classic Newbery Honor appeal.
Come here for
- warm, character-centered storytelling
- a Newbery Honor title with a classic-YA pull
Expect
- friendship at the center
- an easy fit for category browsing
Where it sits
| 20th-Century US YA | 32% |
|---|
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- Alternative Family Stories
- 20th-Century U.S.
- Mysteries & Detective Stories
- Authors
- Ruth White
- Publisher
- Square Fish
- Published
- May 22, 2012
- Format
- Print & ebook
- Reading lane
- Alternative Family Stories