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The Pinballs
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The Pinballs Paperback - 1992

by Betsy Byars

Winner of multiple awards, this novel follows three lonely foster children asthey learn to care about themselves and each other.


From the publisher

From Newbery-winning author Betsy Byars comes a story full of "poignancy, perception, and humor" (The Chicago Tribune), about three foster kids who learn what it takes to make a family.

You can't always decide where life will take you--especially when you're a kid.

Carlie knows she's got no say in what happens to her. Stuck in a foster home with two other kids, Harvey and Thomas J, she's just a pinball being bounced from bumper to bumper. As soon as you get settled, somebody puts another coin in the machine and off you go again.

But against her will and her better judgment, Carlie and the boys become friends. And all three of them start to see that they can take control of their own lives.

First line

One summer two boys and a girl went to a foster home to live together.

From the rear cover

You can't always decide where life will take you--especially when you're a kid.

Carlie knows she's got no say in what happens to her. Stuck in a foster home with two other kids, Harvey and Thomas J, she's just a pinball being bounced from bumper to bumper. As soon as you get settled, somebody puts another coin in the machine and off you go again. But against her will and her better judgment, Carlie and the boys become friends. And all three of them start to see that they can take control of their own Iives.

Carlie knows she's got no say in what happens to her. Stuck in a foster home with two other kids, Harvey and Thomas J, she's just a pinball being bounced from bumper to bumper. As soon as you get settled, somebody puts another coin in the machine and off you go again. But against her will and her beter judgement, Carlie and the boys become friends. And all three of them start to see that they can take control of their own lives.

Details

  • Title The Pinballs
  • Author Betsy Byars
  • Binding Paperback
  • Edition [ Edition: Repri
  • Pages 144
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher HarperCollins, New York
  • Date September 25, 1992
  • ISBN 9780064401982 / 0064401987
  • Weight 0.23 lbs (0.10 kg)
  • Dimensions 7.68 x 5.22 x 0.32 in (19.51 x 13.26 x 0.81 cm)
  • Ages 08 to 12 years
  • Grade levels 3 - 7
  • Reading level 600
  • Themes
    • Topical: Coming of Age
    • Topical: Friendship
  • Library of Congress subjects Friendship, Foster home care
  • Library of Congress Catalog Number 76041518
  • Dewey Decimal Code FIC

Media reviews

Citations

  • Publishers Weekly, 01/04/1993, Page 0
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by Byars, Betsy

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The Pinballs (Apple Paperbacks)
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The Pinballs (Apple Paperbacks)

by Byars, Betsy

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The Pinballs (Apple Paperbacks)
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The Pinballs (Apple Paperbacks)

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The Pinballs (Apple Paperbacks)
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The Pinballs (Apple Paperbacks)

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The Pinballs (Apple Paperbacks)

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The Pinballs (Apple Paperbacks)
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The Pinballs (Apple Paperbacks)

by Byars, Betsy

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The Pinballs (Apple Paperbacks)

by Byars, Betsy

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