Synopses & Reviews
Shelley Pearsall’s story of anger and
art, loss and redemption, is a transformative read that will appeal to
fans of Lisa Graff’s Lost in the Sun and Vince Vawter’s Paperboy.
One kid. One crime. One chance to make things right.
It
was a bitterly cold day when Arthur T. Owens grabbed a brick and hurled
it at the trash picker. Arthur had his reasons, and the brick hit the
Junk Man in the arm, not the head. But none of that matters to the
judge — he is ready to send Arthur to juvie for the foreseeable future.
Amazingly, it’s the Junk Man himself who 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: glass bottles, foil, cardboard, pieces of wood, lightbulbs,
coffee cans, and mirrors. He can’t believe it—is he really supposed to
rummage through people’s trash? But it isn’t long before Arthur realizes
there’s more to the Junk Man than meets the eye, and the “trash” he’s
collecting is being transformed into something more precious than anyone
could imagine. . . .
Inspired by the work of American folk
artist James Hampton, award-winning author Shelley Pearsall has crafted
an affecting and redemptive novel about discovering what shines within
us all, even when life seems full of darkness.
Review
“…interweaves the power and purpose of art with an exploration of a boy’s grief and redemption.” Bulletin
Review
“There are so many things to love about this book. Remarkable.” Christian Science Monitor
Review
“A moving exploration of how there is often so much more than meets the eye.” Booklist, Starred review
Review
“Pearsall has struck just the right tone by imbuing her well-rounded,
interesting characters with authentic voices and pacing the action
perfectly. Excellent.” School Library Journal, starred review
Review
“Written in a homespun style that reflects the simple components of the
artwork, the story guides readers along with Arthur to an understanding
of the most important things in life. Luminescent, just like the artwork it celebrates.” Kirkus Reviews starred review
About the Author
A former teacher and museum historian, Shelley Pearsall is now a full-time author. Her first novel, Trouble Don’t Last, won the Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction. The idea for The Seventh Most Important Thing began
many years ago when she first saw outsider artist James Hampton’s
amazing work. She was disappointed that so little is known about Hampton
and was intrigued that his work was brought to light by anonymous
sources. It was the perfect foundation for this remarkable, inspiring
novel. To learn more about the author and her work, visit
ShelleyPearsall.com and follow her at @ShelleyPearsall.