¶ … Pinballs by Betsy Byars Book Title

The book I read was the Pinballs.

The author of the book is Betsy Byars.

Author information

Betsy Byars has written over 50 children's books. She has won many awards including the Newbery Medal in 1971 for The Summer of the Swans and the American Book Award in 1981 for The Night Swimmers. She lives in South Carolina with her husband Ed.

The book takes place in the Mason's home during the summer.

Subject of book

The Pinballs is about the lives of three kids who meet each other in a foster home. The main characters are Carlie, Harvey, Thomas J. And they all go to live with the Masons. The Masons have had lots of foster children because they cannot have children of their own.

F. Conflicts of the story

The conflicts of the story are how each child has to deal with the painful ways that their parents treated them. All three of the children did not experience much love from their parents. The external conflicts of the story are the physical hurts that each child suffers from. Carlie was hit and Harvey was run over.

G. Summary

In the beginning of the story, Carlie says that the three of them are like pinballs being bounced from bumper to bumper. Carlie is 13 years old and she is the tough one. She was abused by her father and does not think that people...

She is also very insulting at times. Harvey is 13 years old, too. Harvey is 13 years old and he wins an essay contest and on what supposed to be his most favorite day, his father accidentally runs over his legs. He believes that his father keeps his mother from talking to him after she ran away to live in a commune. Thomas J. was abandoned. In the story, he is the youngest of the three kids. He was discovered by two very old twin ladies that took care of him until they had to go to the hospital because of broken hips. Thomas J. has trouble explaining things. The Masons give the kids a home and a place where they can feel safe. They also make the kids realize that they can forget about the past and have lives better than the one s they had before.
H. Conclusion

The story does not have a "happily ever after" ending but it does end with the kids being friends and believing that things can be better. This is the best kind of ending because it more like real life.

I. Opinion

The Pinballs is a great story because it explains what happens when you don't respect others. It sends a message to parents that they should remember that their kids are people, too. The story shows how each child changes, which is a good thing. They all had fears about going to a foster home but they begin to realize that a foster home isn't as bad as they thought it was going to be. I liked the book…