When Zachary Beaver Came to Town

Holt, K.W. (1999). When Zachary Beaver Came to Town. New York: Henry Holt and Company.

Plot Description: Cal and Toby are best friends and are having a normal summer except for the fact that Cal’s brother Wayne is in the war in Vietnam, Toby’s mother has left them for a singing career in Nashville, and Zachary Beaver has come to town.  Zachary Beaver isn’t an ordinary boy and weighs 643lbs.  He lives in a trailer and is part of a sideshow where people pay two dollars to see him.  Over the summer the three boys develop a friendship and come to know of the hardships facing Zachary.  The town and especially Cal then receive horrible news that Wayne has died.  Through this time Toby and Cal’s friendship is strained but they are able to work through it all and in the end develop a stronger bond.  Toby and Cal are also able to help Zachary fulfill one of his dreams which is to become baptized.

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Age Group: This book would be appropriate for grades 6-9.

Series Information/Similar Books:  My Louisiana Sky, Part of Me, and Keeper of the Night by Kimberly Willis Holt

Personal Thought:  This book deals with some tough issues including a death from war, a parents separation and obesity.

Subject/Themes: Vietnam War, Friendship, Obesity, Family Separation

Awards: American Library Association Best Books for Young Adults; American Library Association Notable Children's Books; National Book Award Winner; Booklist Editors' Choice; Horn Book Magazine Fanfare List; School Library Journal Best Books of the Year; Georgia Children’s Book Award (University of GA); Illinois Rebecca Caudill Young Readers Choice Award; Indiana Young Hoosier Award; New Mexico Land of Enchantment; Texas Bluebonnet Award; Vermont Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award

Character Description: Toby is a single child.  His best friend and neighbor is Cal.  His mom has left for Nashville to follow her dream of being a country singer.

Zachary is known as the fattest boy in the world.  He is fifteen years old and weighs 643lbs.  He came in to town as a sideshow act and lives in a trailer.

Cal is thirteen years old.  He has a large family who owns cotton fields.  His older brother Wayne writes him a letter every week from Vietnam where he is fighting in the war.

Annotation: The arrival of Zachary Beaver, a 643lb boy, in Antler has created quite a stir. Read along as Cal, Toby and Zachary are able to overcome many obstacles that are put in their way and still come out on top.