When Zachary Beaver Came to Town, Kimberly Willis Holt
When Zachary Beaver Came to Town, Kimberly Willis Holt
5 Rating(s)
List: $15.00 | Sale: $10.50
Club: $7.50

When Zachary Beaver Came to Town

Author: Kimberly Willis Holt

Narrator: Will Patton

Unabridged: 5 hr

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 01/09/2007


Synopsis

Nothing ever happens in Toby's small Texas town. Nothing much until this summer that's full of big changes.
It's tough for Toby when his mother leaves home to become a country singer. And Toby takes it hard when his best friend Cal's older brother goes off to fight in Vietnam. But now their sleepy town is about to get an even bigger jolt with the arrival of Zachary Beaver, billed as the fattest boy in the world. Toby is in for a summer unlike any other, a summer sure to change his life.

About The Author

Kimberly Willis Holt’s first novel, My Louisiana Sky, was an ALA Notable Book and an ALA Top Ten Best Book for Young Adults. It also received a Boston Globe—Horn Book Honor Award.


Reviews

Goodreads review by AJ on February 10, 2016

This story is like the quiet indie film you watch after a marathon of Hollywood blockbusters. So refreshing. Back during elementary school was probably the first time I picked up 'When Zachary Beaver Came to Town'. Unfortunately I never finished it because my attention span was that of a peanut. Alth......more

Goodreads review by The Dusty Jacket on May 16, 2021

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. The red words painted on the trailer cause quite a buzz around town, and before an hour is up, half of Antle......more

Goodreads review by Carly on October 02, 2013

When Zachary Beaver Came to Town was not my favorite book. It was a summer reading choice, and I had already read the others that seemed interesting. I found the story to be repetitive because the main characters (Toby and Cal) would do the same things every day. As a reader, I feel like I need more......more

Goodreads review by Jen on November 18, 2015

Wow! I've had some good luck lately with good books. This one comes highly recommended. The story is interesting and well-written. Centers around a young boy in the early 1970s trying to understand his mother's leaving and the experience of his best friend's older brother in Vietnam. This author rem......more

Goodreads review by Elizabeth on December 09, 2011

I taught this novel to a class of high intermediate level ESOL students. The majority of them didn't really enjoy it. We (the ULL IEP) try to choose books for them that have the right combination of appropriate/inoffensive language and thematic content, challenging but reasonable vocabulary, and sub......more


Quotes

“As in her first novel, My Louisiana Sky, Holt humanizes the outsider without sentimentality. . . . Holt reveals the freak in all of us, and the power of redemption.”
Booklist, Starred

“In her down-to-earth, people-smart way, Holt offers a gift.”
The Horn Book Magazine, Starred