Macaroni Boy

by Katherine Ayres

During the Great Depression, a boy who faces bullying stumbles upon a mystery and comes of age in this novel that integrates fact and opinion and has a rich 1930’s vocabulary. Extra An Author’s Note is included in the back of the book.

Mike Costa has lived his whole life in The Strip, Pittsburgh’s warehouse and factory district. His father’s large Italian family runs a food wholesale business, and Mike is used to the sounds and smells of men working all night to unload the trains that feed the city. But it’s 1933, and the Depression is bringing tough times to everyone. Money problems only add to Mike’s worries about his beloved grandfather, who is getting forgetful and confused.
     Mike is being tormented at school by a loud-mouth named Andy Simms, who calls Mike “Macaroni Boy.” But when dead rats start appearing in the streets, that name changes to “Rat Boy.” Around the same time Mike notices that his grandfather is also physically sick. Can whatever is killing the rats be hurting Mike’s grandfather? It’s a mystery Mike urgently needs to solve in this atmospheric, fast-paced story filled with vibrant period detail.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Childrens, Read For School, Coming Of Age, School, Chapter Books

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Katherine Ayres is the author of ten books for children and teenagers. She lives in Pittsburgh, PA where she teaches writing to graduate students and Chatham University.

At age 19 she appeared on the TV show, To Tell the Truth--as a liar. "It was good practice for becoming a fiction writer," she says. "These days I have to make up stuff all the time. And I like it!"

Then, as now, Ayres was a convincing story spinner--members of the panel believed her impersonation as young readers believe and enjoy her characters today.

To get to know Katherine better, visit her website (www.katherineayres.com) and her blog (katherineayres.blogspot.com).

Reviews

[Stephanie]

Just finished reading this one out loud to my little guy who is 10. We both said that we didn’t hate it, but we didn’t love it either. Honestly. The last two chapter and the author’s note were my favorite part. Not one that I’d rave about to recommend to anyone, but I don’t deeply regret reading it either.

I love using a story to talk life lessons with me kids as we go through it. Some of the themes we covered:

This book did a good job of showing what happens when you go the route of “an eye for an eye” with people that you struggle with. It really doesn’t help anything.

We also chatted about the Great Depression and found a lot of gratitude in the comforts that we enjoy in our personal lives.

[Tracy L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

An awesome young adult book! The characters and historical content regarding the Strip District of Pittsburgh, PA gives it a life of its own. A great book for reluctant readers. High interest level for upper elementary students and middle school students. An easy read and action throughout.

[Chelsie Ofsthun · Rating 2 out of 5]

A fun mystery entwined within the times of the Great Depression give insight to both the generation, era, and the life of a young boy in the Pittsburgh.

[Callie Harden · Rating 2 out of 5]

A boy’s experience, in Pittsburgh, during The Great Depression.

[Bella Nolan · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is 1933, the middle of the Great Depression. Mike Costa’s family owns Costa Brothers. When people start vomiting blood, including his Grandpap, it’s his job to find out what’s happening to everyone.

[Alex Blose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mike Costa is a sixth-grade boy living in Pittsburgh during the time of the Great Depression. A sick grandpap, a blown-up banana factory, a bully named Andy Simms, mysterious dead hobos, dead rats littering the streets and the possibility of the family's store, Costa Brothers, going under are all problems that Mike tries to solve with the help of his best friend, Joseph Ryan.

Mike, "Rat Boy" or "Macaroni Boy", as Simms likes to call him is Italian-blooded, and cares a lot about his family. So when he discovers that his grandpap is having stomach problems, he wants to do something about it. Mike finds out that the same thing is causing not only his grandpap to become sick but the rats and hobos of Pittsburgh as well. Is it the bananas? the forbidden hooch? the Allegheny River water? the cat fish in the river? With a little help from his new found friend Old Sneaky, reliable Joseph with his cop-like questioning and a little bribing of Andy Simms, Mike finds out and helps his grandpap get better.

I really enjoyed this book, especially because it had a historical aspect to it as well as it being set in Pittsburgh. At the end of the book, there is an Author's Note from Katherine Ayres. In this, you can really see that Ayres did a great job of telling this story as realistically as possible. The things that happened during this time frame are greatly depicted. The main problem of the story is even something that was a great threat to those who lived during the Great Depression. All of her researching really added to the overall enjoy I had while reading this book.

I especially enjoyed the fact that Mike Costa was the "hero" of the story. It was nice to see that such a young boy still had his morals in tact and was responsible enough to help solve problems that could have had a great impact on his family forever. I didn't really like the whole plot of the story. It was well-written, but what actually went on in the story was a little bit bland and I thought that maybe something bigger and better could have happened, or been the cause of what was wrong with Mike's grandpap. Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy the book thoroughly, but I wish there would have been a little more adventure or a bigger climax.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading a story set during the time of the Great Depression, and even anyone from around the Pittsburgh area. It's always kind of neat to read something that is set in a place that you live close to. I think that a lot of people would be able to relate to Mike in the way that he will do whatever it takes to help out his family.

As a future teacher, I would probably use this book during a unit on the Great Depression. I think it greatly depicts Pittsburgh as it would have been during that time, and the hardships that the Costa family encounters are ones that are historically accurate. I think that this would be a good book to read as an entire class and to have the students take home and read a chapter every so often during the lesson. You could do a lot with this book, including activities for language arts and math. There are so many supplemental activities that could be done with this book that I think it would be great for any teacher of 5th or 6th grade to use during their Great Depression unit.

[Naomig014 · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is called Macaroni boy and it is about this boy named Mike and he is someone that is bullied the bully is called andy simms and he always calls his name his first name was macaroni boy and now he started to call mike rat boy and mike hates that name.Andy calls him rat boy because mike always has rats and even kept a rat and named it old snicky. Mikes parents worked at a grocery shop called Costa Brothers and Mike would always go there. Mike would always catch rats and once he threw a rat to Andy for revenge.Later in the book Mike and Andy got in a fight outside of the school parking lot and they got in trouble and the Sister made them go to the office and called mikes parents.Mikes mom went to the office right after they called her and when they left Mikes mom was mad at Mike.In the book Mikes grandpa got very sick because of a disease so Mike catches a rat and experiments it because he thinks its poisoned so he wants to find out what his grandpa has.This book is very interesting because Mike does a lot of things in the book and one thing is catching rats.I recommend this book to a lot of people.If you want to find out why Andy bullies Mike read the book.


The book Macaroni Boy is very interesting for a lot of people because they find stuff that happen.Read the book and you will think it is a very good book to read because you find out the reason why Andy bullies Mike and It also has very interesting things that happen and because the book always makes you imagine what is happening in the chapter.I imagined the fight that they had and i am sure you will like it a lot and you will also like other things that you could imagine like other scenes that have a lot of information and if you like that scene.I was imagining a lot of things in other scenes and i also had connections with the book so I think a lot of people would have connections with the book.You could really have big fat questions because when you read the book you always want to keep on reading and you always have predictions of what you end the chapter and were you stop at.This book is very interesting and I think everyone would like this book and have a lot of connections with it.

[Paulinal014 · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story is about a boy named Mike Costa. It takes place in a town, the Strip. Mike thinks he never did anything wrong, so why was Andy Simms always bullying him? Mike is a good boy. He has food and money even though it is during the great depression. He sounds almost perfect doesn't he? Well he isn't, no one is perfect. Mike's Grandpap is becoming more and more forgetful as the days go by. Mike starts worrying about him, then Grandpap gets worse! Mike saw Grandpap throw up blood. Then Mike catches him banging his head on a fence trying to look for a gate that isn't even there. Mike can't take it anymore he has to know what is wrong with Grandpap. He and his friend, Joseph go together around town trying to find things that could be affecting Grandpap. With all these possible solutions like dirty river water, moonshiner, who are Mike and Joseph suppose to test it on. Certainly not a human, they test it on a rat. Through out their discoveries and problem solving Andy bullies him.

This story really pulls you in the first time you read the couple of chapters because you want to know what is wrong with Grandpap and what is going to happen to him. This book has a lot detail and suspense. Through out the story there is a lot of bullying going on. Bullying is a real thing in this world and we always have to look out for it. You have to follow along with the mystery and put the clues together. Then you can see the big picture. Sometimes when all that someone wants to do is fight to solve problems, you have to be the bigger person and step up. Sometimes you just have to say, why can't everybody just get along?? Fighting is not always the answer. Such as Mrs. Costa said "Mark my words, Michael Costa. A day will come when you're in a tough spot..and fighting won't help. It will only make things worse."

[William Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

****SPOILER ALERT****


The story “Macaroni Boy” is a story about a boy named Mike Costa, from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the Great Depression. His family is of Italian descent and they own a food warehouse. Mike is often the target of the school bully who calls him “rat boy” because he (Mike) kills the mice in the warehouse. When he notices his grandfather is getting sick, he does his best to figure out what is going on by using the rats as test subjects. Mike tries desperately to find the cause of the illness, with the help of his best friend Joseph.
I thought this book was wonderful. Not only does it go back in history to a hard time for America, it tells the story of the love a young boy has for his grandfather and what he’ll do to keep him alive. The hook of the story and the storyline itself are great and make you want to keep reading. As you learn more about Mike you can’t help but love his character because he is a very good kid and would do absolutely anything to keep his grandfather around. The author, Katherine Ayres, definitely did a great job creating the addictive storyline everyone wants to have in a book they are reading.
The one thing that I did not like about the book was that I was confused by the plot throughout the story. I felt like the rising action, climax, and falling action all kept reoccurring. When the story started building up and getting interesting it would turn around, get exciting, and then it would start building back up and repeating the cycle until the end. I feel like this can be very confusing for many readers. It would be easier to follow with a straightforward plot.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Macaroni Boy" is a depression-era realistic fiction novel that takes place in Pittsburgh, PA. Mike Costa and his best friend Joseph realize there is a lot going on in their small part of the city known as the Strip District and they start to wonder if there is any connection. A sick grandpap, a bully named Andy Simms, a factory explosion, dead hobos, dead rats...could there be a link?

Mike discovers that his grandpap is having stomach problems, and since he cares so deeply for his grandpap and the family, he wants to do something about it. Mike finds out that the same thing that is causing his grandpap to be sick is also afecting the rats and hobos. What could it be? Is it the bananas from the explosion? Allegheny River water? Moonshine? Could an enemy help Mike find the answser to what is causing all the problems in the Strip? With help from his best friend Joseph and Old Sneaky, Mike finds out what is causing all the problems but is it in time to save his grandpap

As much as I enjoyed the story, I disliked the ending as I felt it ended suddenly and it left the reader wanting more. Other than that, I thought the story was well written and after reading the note at the end of the story from the author, Katherine Ayres, it is obvious that quite a bit of research went into keeping the store realistic.

I would recommend this book to anyone that grew up in the Pittsburgh area or has moved to the area or is interested in realistic fiction.
I would use this book with students in 5th or 6th grade during a lesson on the depression-era.

[Luigi · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book Macaroni Boy by Katherine Ayres is a realistic fiction book based on true facts. It is about a boy called Mike Costa growing up in the Pittsburgh, PA strip district during the Great Depression. His family is from Italy and they opened a company called the Costa Brothers that sells Macaroni mostly. Mike struggles through school while a kid in his class called Andy Simms bullies him. He strives to achieve the cause to his grandpa's sickness and of many others. Read as determined Mike searches and tries his discoveries on a rat to see if it would kill it. Reading this book really made me think about how times have really changed since the Great Depression. I can relate to this myself because I grew up in Pittsburgh and went to the strip district often. I could see for myself that the strip district was like how the book said it was, but also there was not nearly as much poverty than used to be as the book said.


I myself would recommend this book to a classmate if they would like to slightly see what the Great Depression was like. This is because the book shows what its like through the story of a boy growing up but doesn't focus on major events that happened during the Great Depression. The story mostly about a boy growing up and him struggling in his early life growing up and not strictly on the Great Depression. Macaroni Boy Katherine Ayres

[Mara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Macaroni Boy is one of those books which does have a storyline, but spends most of its time covering day-to-day occurrences, and whose storyline is a pretty small instance in somebody's life. A lot of this book talks about Mike's school troubles, his family's financial troubles (which is a theme that cannot be ignored in a Great Depression-era novel), and other such things. The storyline itself takes a little while to appear, and when it finally comes around, you are not certain if it's the storyline or just some other unlucky incident in Mike's life.

However, as far as these types of books go, Macaroni Boy is good, due to the time period, the writing style, and the fact that the Author chooses an interesting topic to build her plot around, so once the Reader gets to it, they'll be interested enough to finish it. The Author does a good job of covering the gross parts without so much detail that it will put Readers off of their breakfast (unless the Reader happens to be eating bananas). And she gives the family members personalities that don't grate on your nerves, like most family-member characters do.

All in all, Macaroni Boy is a book that a lot of younger Readers would enjoy.

[Howardh014 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think Mike is a nice kid because he really cared about his grandpa and he was trying to find out who blew up the shop. Grandpa blew it up that is shocking because he is a nice guy. Mike had a lot of things going on while finding out the mystery. When Mike was a little kid he hit Andy in the face on accident but Andy didn't think it was on accident so Andy decided to get back at Mike. Andy got in a fight with Mike but when it was all over people told them to brake it up.

My thoughts were that the book really good but I think the title doesn't really go with the book that well because in the first couple of chapters in the book they talk about macaroni but when it starts to get in the middle it like fades away and in the end it is gone. I f I can ask any questions to the author to this book I would ask her would you make a second book of macaroni boy? Why didn't Mike and Andy become friends? But overall I think this book was very good.

[Kaffa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Macaroni Boy, by Katherine Ayres.
I read this little book a while back. This book provides a few interesting history lessons about the Great Depression and how things used to be. It is short and targeted with younger audiences. There's a little comedy, a little adventure, but not to much. Although it is targeted to younger readers, it does contain a few things that may be offensive. To start off the 'author' (the person in the perspective of the book) poisons a rat near the end of the book
Although it can be justified he was doing an experiment to make sure whether or not there was poison around, this could be considered animal abuse. The narrator is unintelligent at best. He doesn't even express sadness when his mother has a miscarriage.
It's a basic story that doesn't lend to too much.

[Kewpie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mike lives in Pittsburgh, PA during the Depression. Out of all of the neighborhood boys, he comes from the most well off family. The boys resent him and call him Macaroni Boy because his family is Italian and makes a living selling wholesale groceries. For the most part, Mike endures the teasing, until dead rats start showing up around the warehouse. His name becomes Rat Boy and the teasing gets more hostile. All the while, Mike's grandfather falls ill and rapidly declines in health. Mike believes there is a connection between the dead rats and his grandfather's illness and begins to investigate.

[Tina Demas Broccolo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is wonderful for 6th graders. It's told from a boy's perspective and is set during the depression. It really puts life in perspective while also dealing with bullying and how to befriend an enemy for a common goal. The main character is adventurous and funny. He also has to deal with a sick grandfather that he is very found of and how the family is affected by caring for him. It's a great book for this age group!

[Sue Carr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kathy Ayres is a good friend and incredible teller of historical tales. If you ever have the chance, pick up one (or more) of her YA fiction. This one captures Pittsburgh sights, sounds, and smells in a way that will transport and fascinate the reader, and weaves a mystery that will keep kids (and adults) guessing to the end.

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great story! It was so interesting because of its setting in the Strip District of Pgh, a place I know well. There was a lot of attention paid to historical accuracy, which I appreciate, but like the American Girl books she wrote, Ayres has enough of a story line and character development to keep an adult interested. Glad I read this one!

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's definitely a book for kids. I enjoyed the Pittsburgh elements, having been to a The Strip many times. The "mystery" was good & Depression info slim but good. I think it could have had a bit more info and story line, but what's here is well done,

[Brooklyn Hengesbach · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a realistic fiction book. It's based on real facts. It is about a boy and his family that is growing in Pittsburgh during the great depression.The boy is bullied by this other boy and he is trying to help run the business that his family has.

[Skylar · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a really good book and its got real facts. This book is about a boy who gets bullied and him and his family is growing up in the great depression and hes trying to help his family with their store.

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A boy in 1933 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, discovers that the river water is being poisoned by local industry.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, quick read. Good plot.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was about this dude who lives in depression times. His grandpa starts throwing up blood and Mike or Macaroni Boy needs to find out why. It was really long!!

[Monikamathis · Rating 5 out of 5]

it was a very interesting book i had to read it during battle of the books in 5th grade and i fell in love with it.. i read like 3 times already lol

[Whittney · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good book about a boy growing up in the Depression.

[Miss Durkin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this story because it took place in my hometown of Pittsburgh. It did have some gritty parts though, including exploding bananas and dead rats!

[Alexa Hamilton · Rating 2 out of 5]

Perfectly serviceable historical fiction set during the Great Depression.

[Evang014 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of the greatest books of all time because it's about this boy named mike and he has a grandpop got sick so he has to try to find out why everybody is getting sick

[Vicki · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mike a Pittsburg boy in the 1930's tries to solve a mystery of illness of his grandfather, arch enemy, 2 hobos & rats. Great historical value-not well written