This story is about Arthur T. Owens, who threw a brick at the trash picker. Arthur had his reasons, and the brick hit the Junk Man in the arm, not the head. But that doesn’t matter to the judge – he’s ready to send Arthur to juvie for a long time. Surprisingly, the Junk Man himself offers an alternative: 120 hours of community service, working for him.
Arthur is given a rickety shopping cart and a list of the Seven Most Important Things: lightbulbs, foil, mirrors, pieces of wood, glass bottles, coffee cans, and cardboard. He can’t believe it, is he really supposed to go through people’s trash? But Arthur soon realizes that there’s more to the Junk Man than meets the eye. The ‘trash’ he’s collecting is being made into something more precious than anyone could imagine.
This is one of those deep-hearted kinds of books I love.
Each one of the seven most important things is connected to a life lesson Arthur goes through, which I find brilliant and sweet.
If you’ve enjoyed books like “Because of Winn-Dixie” and ‘Freak the Mighty,’ you’ll love this book.
Be sure to read the Author’s Note. It will blow your mind. It blew mine.