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Summary: "When Zachary Beaver Comes to Town" <--- GREAT BOOK!
Review: This book is about an average kid, Toby, living in a small town and having one person make a huge impact on him. An overweight boy named Zachary, comes into the town by trailer for the town to come look at and make fun of his size. Toby and his best friend Cal's first impression of Zachary is like everyone else's: mean fat boy. Through the book as Toby faces reality of having his mother leave his home, girl problems, he realizes that Zachary isn't just the boy that he seems. Toby looks right through that, and what turns out to be a growing friendship. I would highly reccomend this book to anyone that would like to read a heart warming, exciting, and comforting sweet story. I am 13 years old in 7th grade, and I started reading this book and couldn't put it down. It is one of the best stories I have ever read, and one that I will never forget. :-)
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Summary: A Coming of Age Book...
Review: Life in small towns is not necessarily any easier than life elsewhere, and when Zachary Beaver came to Antler, Texas, Toby Wilson, like the rest of the town pays his two dollars to gawk at the fattest boy in the world. But when Zachary's manager, Paulie leaves Zachary in Antler with no proof that he will come back, Toby and his friend Cal learn that not only is Zachary a "side show freak", but that he is a person with feelings and dreams himself. In the course of the book Toby learns to deal with his family, his friend Cal, Zachary, and his heartthrob, Scarlett Starling. The book is well written and deals with what could be challenging issues calmly and plausibly. This is a solid book, that while probably not deserving the National Book Award, definitely deserves to be read. Crazy James
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Summary: Charles from Richview Middle School
Review: This particular book is an adventure book because it is entertaining you mainly. There is a kd that lives in Antler Texas. He is having an ok time until another fat kid named Zachary Beaver comes and turns the town upside down.Toby doesn't like this kid much then he ges to know him better.I am finished!
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Summary: A Great Book
Review: I decided to read When Zachary Beaver Came to Town because I have enjoyed a book before by the author. In this book, Toby, the main character, realizes that Antler, Texas is not exactly the most exciting place to grow up. Then, Zachary Beaver, the "fattest boy in the world", comes to their little town hoping to make money as a freak show act. Toby and his best friend Cal meet Zachary and are enthralled with Zachary's stories and tales of the far off places he has been, and as the stories are told, they gradually discover the meaning of friendship, which is the main theme of the book. This was a wonderful book, not only because it was touching, but also because it illustrated that it is not only what is outside, but mostly what is inside that counts. I would recommend this book to anyone, but specifically to fifth through eighth graders because it is not a difficult book to read.
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Summary: An English teacher's dream, ninth grader's nightmare
Review: Zachary Beaver is a novel of many charms, not the least of which is Ms. Holt's penchant and skill at characterization of quirky small-town America. Her adult characters, especially, ring true with the foibles and idiosyncracies that we all have. Holt does this as well as Carson McCullers did. However, Zachary Beaver is less successful the younger the characters get, especially on an emotional level, which should never happen with a novel for young adults. An example? Young Toby's mother sends word that she's not coming home from Nashville. Any 13 year old would be emotionally devastated. Toby is barely budged. Similarly, when his best friend's older brother dies in Vietnam. Should be devastating, does not play that way. Add to this the book's fairly predictable plot and leisurely pacing, and you have a book that many middle and high school kids are going to get assigned but not be aching to finish. Of those who say this is a better novel for adults, this reader agrees.
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Summary: When Zachary Beaver Came To Town
Review: "Nothing ever happens in Antler, Texas. Nothing much at all. Until this afternoon, when an old blue Thunderbird pulls a trailer decorated with Christmas lights into the Dairy Maid parking lot."
Meet Tobias Wilson, your average American boy. He's short, has a crush on Scarlet Stalling, and his mother is pursuing her dream of becoming a country music star.
He's about to set off on what seems like the most boring summer ever. His best friend's older brother is off fighting in Vietnam. Toby also has to suffer the agony of watching Scarlet Stalling kiss another boy while Toby baby-sits her sticky-fingered, incontinent little sister.
Then Zachary Beaver, described as "the fattest boy in the world", moves into Antler, closely tailed by a whirlwind series of events.
Kimberly Holt has outdone herself with When Zachary Beaver Came to Town. She captures the mind of the reader, drawing them into the story. The reader becomes Toby, feeling his rage and frustration, joy and wonder. The characters become people you know and trust through Holt's use of in-depth description and witty dialogue. I recommend When Zachary Beaver Came to Town to anyone who enjoys a compelling, thrilling read. Grace
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Summary: When Zachary Beaver Came to Town
Review: I liked the novel "When Zachary Beaver Came to Town" for many reasons. One of witch is that its a story about two boys that live in a small town like the one I live in. Another reason I enjoyed it was that the author Kimberly Walis Holt did a very good job of discribing the characters. I disliked the way that she discribed the delivery of the worms. The best part of the book in my opinion was when Cal and Toby defended Zachary from the other kids. Ms. Holt had vivid imagry of the boys. In this part Cal had left food for Zachary on his front step and they waited to see if he would pick it up. While they were waiting some other boys came up and started picking on him. Toby and Cal did the reasonable thing and helped defend Zachary. The author had a good discription of the setting and talking about the characters. When she said, "The cotton feilds look like waves" I could imagine it. Toby and Cal remind me of two brothers that were always playing and rough-housing.
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Summary: When Zachary Beaver Came to Town
Review: Toby's mom was going to be in a country singing contest. Then she never came back, Toby's parents split up.
Zachary came to town and he was the talk of the town. Everybody went to see him; pepole paid to go see him. People would come by and drop off bags of food for him. People all over Texas pay two dollars to see Zachary,then make fun of him and ask him rude questions about how much he eats.Zachary was a lier; he never went to all those places he said had gone to. Cal and Toby and everybody else helped Zachary get baptized.They also took him to the drive in movie theatre. Cal and Toby thought he was mean at first, but as the book continued he changed. They didn't even want to get to know him better. In Antler, Texas he changed and he made a few friends.
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Summary: Fat Man!!!
Review: This book was good especially for a school book. I had to read it for school and alot of my friends hated it. I thought it was a good book. It was a good book because it had a little humor. It was interesting about the life of the fattest boy in the world. Hope people read this book and find out about Zachary(the fattest boy) and what his life is like. You will also hear about Zachary's friends and how nice they are to him.
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Summary: Awesome!!!!!!!!!
Review: I thought that this book was really kind of boring in the beginning but soon it got more exciting. I'm glad I didn't stop reading it because I would have missed out on a lot!
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