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THE THIEF by Thomas Rockwell

THE THIEF

By

Pub Date: Nov. 18th, 1977
Publisher: Delacorte

Picked on by his older brothers, nine-year-old Tim is mildly grateful for the daily visits of the new, poor kid next door--even though Dwayne (whose every sentence contains the word ""crud"") is careless with Tim's toys and doesn't know how to play any of the games. Then the family begins to suspect Dwayne of stealing-first the boys' compass, Swiss knife, 22 bullets; then cash from their parents' room--and soon after, Dwayne inveigles Tim into an old man's shack which Dwayne proceeds to mess up. That's enough for Tim, who doesn't mind when he's forbidden to play with Dwayne; still, it bothers him that his understanding, reasonable parents care more about how the old man feels than about how Dwayne feels. This last alleviates the general air of middle-class complacency, but it doesn't dispel the stereotypes. A competent but thin problem piece.