The Wonder Kid - Hardcover

George Harrar is the author of several novels and numerous short stories, one of which was chosen for the 1999 edition of The Best American Short Stories. Harrar lives in Wayland, Massachusetts, with his wife, Linda, a documentary filmmaker.

Grade 4–7—Through the first-person narrative of 11-year-old Jesse James MacLean, Harrar creates an honest, if stereotypical look at the 1950s. In a small town outside Philadelphia, fear runs rampant as the second wave of "President Roosevelt's disease" threatens to strike its young victims. Jesse's overprotective mother insists that he stay indoors during the summer of 1954. He spends his days drawing, reading comic books, and making up games. Never quite living up to his "tough-guy" father's expectations, the boy has a special relationship with his grandfather. Jesse's world is turned upside down when Gramps dies, and, despite his mother's diligent efforts, he contracts polio. The grueling muscle exercises that follow are tempered by the frequent visits of a classmate who offers not only friendship, but also encouragement as Jesse invents a comic-strip hero, the Wonder Kid, whose polio has given him special powers of good. Although Jesse's father softens late in the story, he never quite redeems himself. Harrar adeptly maintains a boy's perspective while inserting humor, trivia, and historical information into an otherwise harrowing situation. Winiarski's pen-and-ink sketches are small and scantily placed, yet contribute to the story's lighthearted tone. For a more serious look at the devastating effect of polio, look to Julie Johnston's Hero of Lesser Causes (Tundra, 2003).—D. Maria LaRocco, Cuyahoga Public Library, Strongsville, OH
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