The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg

Now here is a conundrum I often find myself in: A girl is more likely to read a good book, even if a boy is the main character. A boy, however, will most likely not even touch a book, no matter how good it is, if the main character is a girl. So girls have a greater array of books to read from than boys, but boys often become main characters to reach a larger audience. Do you follow? Imagine if Harry Potter were Harriet Potter. Would there even be a movie? Yes, you have a strong female character in Hermione, but she could never capture the majority of boys' attention. Fablehaven and The Alchemyst try a different tactic I believe and I will talk about them soon.

There are five Newbery books this year. The winner might be read by a few boys. Calpurnia and Mountain won't. The biography is even about a female. So it's a girl-heavy year, but Homer P. Figg  by Rodman Philbrick, (Freak the Mighty,) is about as boyish as one can get! You'll catch Homer stealing food from the hog slops and telling tall tales. He'll act like a squealing pig-boy and chase his brother into the battle at Gettysburg. Why?

Homer and his big brother Harold are being raised by their Uncle Squint. Homer's dad died before Homer was even born. His mother, a school-marm, succumbed to the fever. The only kin left was Squint who happened to be the meanest man alive. Well, the second meanest. Among the things Uncle Squint hates, "he hates Southerners, because they own slaves; he hates Negroes, because they complain of being enslaved; he hates Senator Douglas, because Douglas is short; he hates President Lincoln, because Lincoln is tall; and he hates the sky, because it didn't matter if the sky is sunny and blue, it's bound to rain someday."

Squint's worst offense is selling brother Harold into conscription in the Yankee army even though he is only 17. Homer knows it's his fault for stealing stale bread from the pig slops because Harold would still be there if he hadn't have stood up for his brother. Homer knows it's up to him to run away after his brother and set things right.

We follow Homer from the backwoods of Maine to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. He falls in with some criminals and ends up helping the Underground Railroad. He falls in with more criminals and ends up caged with some pigs. He falls in with a medicine man as the Infamous Pig Boy and ends up in a hot air balloon flying over the battlefield. And he finally saves his brother by wounding Harold himself. Harold was always too brave and too honest. He was sure to end up killed without Homer's help!

Next we move on to the Coretta Scott King Awards!