Matchit

by Martha Moore

Matchit McCarty feels like a piece of junk. It’s not surprising, really. His father, who has always taken care of him, has left him with a woman named Babe who runs a junkyard. It seems his father is in love and, for the moment at least, he needs Matchit out of the picture. But what sort of picture can Matchit construct of himself—abandoned, unwanted, a bad-luck boy?

Babe, however, turns out to be a woman with a heart as big as Texas. She seems convinced that Matchit is the greatest kid on earth. Her junkyard is more than it seems, too. It’s home to a sculptor named Zebby who welds scrap iron into art. Then there is their neighbor, Sister, a taxidermist who is full of splintery affection. From this motley “family” Matchit will learn to create a new image of who he is and where he might be headed.


From the Hardcover edition.

Genres: Young Adult

208 pages, Paperback

First published April 9, 2002

Reviews

[Elyssa Dekker · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a heartwarming story about a young boy who stayed with a woman his dad barely knew, not to mention he hadn't seen in ten years, while his dad went to Mt. Rushmore with his girlfriend. Matchit feels unloved and rejected, but this woman, Babe, really takes him under her wing. He eventually finds an injured bird, which gives him something to love, and something that won't runaway from him. The bird gives him hope, and helps him learn to love himself. Babe and her good friend, Sister, love Matchit, and show him family. I don't want to give away the ending, but it is a good one, one that makes you feel good. I enjoyed this book, and found it very touching.