When Zachary Beaver Came to Town by Kimberly Willis Holt
Reviewed by KarenRatings
Content Ratings based on a 0-5 scale where
0 = no objectionable content and
5 = an excessive or disturbing level of content
LANGUAGE
VIOLENCE
SEXUAL CONTENT
ADULT THEMES
1999 National Book Award Winner in Young People’s Literature
Ratings Explanation
Language: Two mild swear words are used once each. Three crude words are used once each.
Violence: Boys in town throw rocks at Zachary’s trailer mocking him.
Sexual Content: Boys watching a girl “in hot pink pants” walk by. Flirty young teen, Scarlett, kisses Toby on the cheek. He dreams that she is his girlfriend.
Adult Content: The Vietnam War continues. Wayne mentions the reality of war in his letters. There is some insensitivity towards Zachary—the fattest boy in the world. People gawk at him because he is different. He is treated, by some, as a side show freak.
Synopsis
Nothing new ever happens in Antler, Texas–only the dust blows and the cotton fields grow. But, in the summer of 1971, Toby, age 13, becomes aware of more. His mother has left to pursue her singing dream. Wayne, his best friend’s older brother, has been drafted into the Vietnam War. And then, an old trailer carrying Zachary Beaver, billed as “The Fattest Boy in the World,” comes to town. The whole town lines up to view this sideshow attraction. When Zachary’s guardian leaves him alone in the trailer for a few weeks, Toby and his best friend, Cal, make friends with him. The book follows Toby, and in part, Cal, as they come to terms with love, loss and friendship.
This well-written book deals with some tough issues (war, death, loss of a parent) in a realistic, but kind and sensitive, way. I appreciated how Cal and Toby could look beyond Zachary’s obesity and tough-guy exterior to discover a fellow teenager in need of a friend. The book received the “National Book Award”. It was made into a PG-rated movie.