The Seventh Most Important Thing
Written by Shelley Pearsall
Narrated by Nick Podehl
4/5
()
About this audiobook
This “luminescent” (Kirkus Reviews) story of anger and art, loss and redemption will appeal to fans of Lisa Graff’s Lost in the Sun and Vince Vawter’s Paperboy.
Arthur T. Owens grabbed a brick and hurled it at the trash picker. Arthur had his reasons, and the brick hit the Junk Man in the arm, not the head. But none of that matters to the judge—he is ready to send Arthur to juvie forever. Amazingly, it’s the Junk Man himself who offers an alternative: 120 hours of community service…working for him.
Arthur is given a rickety shopping cart and a list of the Seven Most Important Things: glass bottles, foil, cardboard, pieces of wood, lightbulbs, coffee cans, and mirrors. He can’t believe it—is he really supposed to rummage through people’s trash? But it isn’t long before Arthur realizes there’s more to the Junk Man than meets the eye, and the “trash” he’s collecting is being transformed into something more precious than anyone could imagine.…
Inspired by the work of folk artist James Hampton, Shelley Pearsall has crafted an affecting and redemptive novel about discovering what shines within us all, even when life seems full of darkness.
“A moving exploration of how there is often so much more than meets the eye.” —Booklist, starred review
“There are so many things to love about this book. Remarkable.” —The Christian Science Monitor
Shelley Pearsall
A former teacher and museum historian, Shelley Pearsall is now a full-time author. Her first novel, Trouble Don’t Last, won the Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction. Her other books include Jump into the Sky, Crooked River, All of the Above, and All Shook Up.
More audiobooks from Shelley Pearsall
All of the Above Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Trouble Don't Last Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5All Shook Up Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Crooked River Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Things Seen From Above Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
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Reviews for The Seventh Most Important Thing
22 ratings2 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Beautifully written coming of age story with rich characters and intriguing nuisances that keep the reader captivated until the end. Timeless lessons that will leave you reflecting on how we often find beauty in the most unexpected people and places.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Good story with a good theme. Wish it had more in the way of emotional impact though but very hopeful ending