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Vernon Culligan had been dead to the town of Draydon, Virginia, so long that when the crusty Vietnam vet finally died, only one person noticed. Twelve-year-old Gabe grew up in the foster care system until a social worker located his Uncle Vernon two years before. When he comes home to discover that his uncle has died of a heart attack, he's terrifed of going back into the system—so he tells no one. The next day, he discovers a strange note in his mailbox:
I HAVE A SECRET. DO NOT BE AFRAID.
And his uncle's body is gone.
Thus begins a unique correspondence destined to save the two people that depended on Vernon for everything. Through flashbacks, we learn about Gabe and Vernon's relationship, and how finding each other saved them both from lives of suffering. But eventually, Vernon's death will be discovered, and how will Gabe and the mystery note writer learn to move forward?
The Mailbox is not a story about death—though it begins with a death. It's also not a story about Vietnam vets, although the author works with Vietnam veterans and wrote this novel, in part, to illuminate their sacrifices and suffering. The Mailbox is a story about connections—about how two people in need can save each other.
Praise for The Mailbox:
Junior Library Guild Selection
A Bank Street College Best Children's Books of the Year
A Librarians' Choices Booklist Selection
“Shafer’s narrative is heartfelt, earnest and moving. . . and conveys the power of memory to help heal wounds.”—Kirkus Reviews
“Warm and moving, it is an evocative picture of the weblike nature of human existence and the interconnectedness of seemingly disparate experiences.”—School Library Journal
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
December 17, 2008 -
Formats
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Kindle Book
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OverDrive Read
- ISBN: 9780307487889
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EPUB ebook
- ISBN: 9780307487889
- File size: 1821 KB
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Accessibility
Publisher statement (EPUB)
The publisher provides the following statement about the accessibility of the EPUB file supplied to OverDrive. Experiences may vary across reading systems. After borrowing the book, you may download the EPUB files to read in another reading system.
Ways Of Reading
No information about appearance modifiability is available.
Not all of the content will be readable as read aloud speech or dynamic braille.
Has alternative text descriptions for images.
Conformance
No information is available.
Navigation
Table of contents to all chapters of the text via links.
Additional Information
Page breaks included
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Languages
- English
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Levels
- ATOS Level: 5
- Lexile® Measure: 790
- Interest Level: 4-8(MG)
- Text Difficulty: 3-4
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Reviews
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School Library Journal
November 1, 2006
Gr 5-7-Complex and believably imperfect characters emerge from the first page to the last in this debut novel. Gabe, 12, had been shuffled around the foster-care system for years, until, as a 9-year-old, he was taken to Virginia to an uncle he had never met. Now, two years later, he comes home after the first day of sixth grade to find Uncle Vernon dead. Numb with fear and grief, he tells no one, but the body disappears and mysterious cards begin to appear in his mailbox. As he mourns for his uncle and struggles to honor his memory, readers get to know the strong and caring people surrounding him, and to see the enormous impact made by one scarred and cantankerous, but loving, old man. Uncle Vernons colloquial voice; the details of successive school days and vignettes of what it means to have a best friend; horrifying glimpses of the Vietnam War, in which Vernon had served, and its aftermath; and sketches of compassionate adults make up some of the bits and pieces of the story. The book is much more than the sum of these parts, however. Warm and moving, it is an evocative picture of the weblike nature of human existence and the interconnectedness of seemingly disparate experiences."Faith Brautigam, Gail Borden Public Library, Elgin, IL"Copyright 2006 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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The Horn Book
January 1, 2007
When twelve-year-old Gabe's uncle Vernon (a Vietnam veteran and Gabe's sole guardian) dies, the boy keeps Vernon's death a secret and tries to manage on his own. He is assisted by a mysterious, unseen well-wisher who communicates by notes. Despite some overwritten prose and a tacked-on ending, this character study is original and convincing.(Copyright 2007 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)
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Formats
- Kindle Book
- OverDrive Read
- EPUB ebook
Languages
- English
Levels
- ATOS Level:5
- Lexile® Measure:790
- Interest Level:4-8(MG)
- Text Difficulty:3-4
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