THE RARE ONE

by Pamela Rogers ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 1974

The usual sort of story about a boy who deeply resents the presence of his new stepmother and stepsister, takes up with an old hobo who has been living in a makeshift shack in the woods, and then unwittingly causes the old man's removal to a home when he writes an essay about him for school. The old man, who confesses to having lost a wife and children in the blitz, is rather more sentimentalized than the average, and the only thing special about tidily characterized Toby is his love of rolling words around in his head and his fascination with small insights and images -- he is apt to he struck by the ""golden germ of an idea"" or feel regret wriggling like ""a cold snail inside."" The writing is not particularly superior, just high-calorie rich like a department store fruitcake. A few word-minded kids will enjoy Toby's mental games, but they do smack of adult projections, and most readers will he bored.

Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1974

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: 96

Publisher: Nelson

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1974

Categories: FICTION