The Boy on the Porch

June 10, 2013
Newbery Medalist Creech’s slim, understated story about a young childless couple who find a small boy of indeterminate age asleep on their farmhouse porch one morning has a fablelike quality. Accompanied only by a note reading, “Plees taik kair of Jacob. He is a god good boy. Wil be bak wen we can,” the boy doesn’t speak, but he overflows with creative gifts and has an affinity for communicating with animals. The novel is set in a rural area, where town means a general store, a schoolhouse, and a sheriff’s office, and in an earlier era—telephones aren’t commonplace, but trucks, cars, and trailers are standard. Creech’s quiet tale movingly follows Marta and John’s evolution from puzzlement over Jacob’s mysterious appearance to a deepening love for him and a fear that somebody will return to claim him. While the target audience may not find the novel’s point of view, which is focused entirely on the adult couple, initially compelling, the suspense surrounding Jacob’s origins and his future makes it a page-turner for readers of any age. Ages 8–12. Agent: Amy Berkower, Writers House.

August 1, 2013

Gr 4-6-Creech draws readers into a brilliantly simple, sentimental, and adult-centered moral scenario. On a rural American farm, an isolated couple finds a mute, mysterious, and artistic boy (who could be six, seven, or eight) abandoned on their porch. The longer he stays with them, the more his various talents become apparent and the more attached they become. They dread the day someone might come back to claim him. Readers will fall for the boy along with the taciturn couple and will become utterly absorbed in the what-would-you-do element of this cleanly written narrative. Others, however, may be distracted by the overly idyllic portrayal of farm and rural life, one-dimensional characters, and the aura of righteousness. It is, after all, an far-fetched premise, no matter how well written by such a renowned and skillful author. As an excellent vehicle for exploring moral quandaries, schools and libraries seeking books around which to discuss values will definitely want this title. However, Creech's fans should be aware that this is a departure from her previous fare, more like her The Unfinished Angel (HarperCollins, 2009) than her titles featuring strong female narrators.-Rhona Campbell, Georgetown Day School, Washington, DC

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from August 1, 2013
In a book world crowded with overwrought shock-fluff stories, this quiet novel sings. Needing none of the gratuitous drama and exaggeration of voice so common in books for children and teens these days, Newbery Medalist Creech's latest novel is allegorical in feel as it quietly gets to the heart of the matter--which is, of course, the heart. When John and Marta, a contentedly childless young couple, find a boy sleeping on their porch, they are mystified. The boy, introduced to them only by a crude, misspelled note as Jacob, doesn't speak. But he does tap and paint and play music, and as John and Marta indulge his creative passions, they grow to love him. When Jacob's father, a rough man, turns up, the young couple must let Jacob go, but they are heartbroken and even go so far as to look for him afterward. In the end, their searching reveals an outlet for the love that Jacob has awoken in them. A deeply felt story sparely written in lyrical prose, this book stands out as a quiet contemplation on the connection that is the wellspring of love. A graceful, profound story for all ages that speaks well beyond its intended audience. (Fiction. 8 & up)

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August 1, 2013
Grades 4-6 John and Marta, a young couple living on an out-of-the-way farm, find a young boy deposited on their porch. He does not speak, seems unafraid, and has only a crumpled note to indicate his identity: Plees taik kair of Jacob. He is a good boy. Wil be bak wen we can. The uncertain couple open their home and their hearts to this silent boy with a talent for music and art and love. It is a fragile happiness, lived moment to moment as Marta and John dare not make long-term plans. The brief chapters of this slender novel reinforce the idea of time stolen, as the days unfold in the shadow of the inevitable return of the boy's family. What could be a melodrama is crafted into a richer and more gracious story in Creech's masterful hands. The outcome of Jacob's time with John and Marta is long lasting and solid and pays forward in a completely believable and satisfying manner.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2014
Marta and John live a quiet life on their farm until one day a sleeping boy appears on the porch. Jacob doesn't speak, but he appears to understand Marta and John, and is able to communicate well with animals. Creech's bittersweet novella is very much the adults' story, but with some child appeal; short chapters are well suited for reading aloud.

(Copyright 2014 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

September 1, 2013
Young married couple Marta and John live a quiet life together on their farm until one day a sleeping boy (age six? seven? eight? They're not sure) appears on the front porch. In his pocket is a note: "Plees taik kair of Jacob. He is a god good boy. Wil be bak wen we can." Jacob doesn't speak, but he appears to understand Marta and John, and is able to communicate well with animals. The grownups do a little investigating to try to figure out where he came from, but they are tentative about it; truth be told, as they grow closer to Jacob, they begin to think of him more and more as their own. Creech's novella is very much the adults' story. It is from their perspective, and it is leisurely paced and contemplative. The setting has an old-fashioned feel; time and place aren't identified. The story's events are bittersweet, with a satisfying resolution. It's the sort of book that a grownup in a wistful mood might want to read in one sitting, but there is also some child appeal: short chapters (most are just two pages) are well suited for reading aloud, and the mysteries of Jacob's talents and his past could provoke discussion. elissa gershowitz

(Copyright 2013 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)