Finding Stinko

by Michael de Guzman

Newboy hasn’t spoken in three years. One morning he opened his mouth and nothing came out. He doesn’t know why he stopped talking, but what he does know is that he’s through with the state child-care system. In twelve years he’s lived in eleven foster homes, and the Knoxes are the worst of the bunch. Now, with no voice, no family, and no exact plan, Newboy is running away for good. Living on the streets means danger and excitement around every corner, but the one thing Newboy never expected to find is a companion in the form of an old ventriloquist dummy lying in a Dumpster – a puppet with no hands, backward feet, and a chunk of its nose missing. Amazingly, this beat-up doll whom he dubs “Stinko” possesses a kind of magic that helps Newboy rediscover his ability to communicate.
 
This is a fast-paced adventure about a runaway kid figuring out not just what he’s searching for but also what he has to say.  Finding Stinko is a 2008 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.

Genres: Young Adult, Realistic Fiction, Middle Grade

144 pages, Hardcover

First published April 17, 2007

About the author

I grew up seeing hypocrisy pretty much everywhere I looked. I still see it. I believe it must be conquered. I think love, hope, romance and our imaginations are the best way to do it. Most of all I believe that kids get the short end of the stick. We pay lip service to the idea that they are the future, but we short change them. Kids don't have the vote. They don't have lobbyists because they don't have money. Everything about their lives is determined by adults, often to their detriment.

I write about kids who populate the margins of society, who have something big to face in life, who take action on their own behalf, and who are aided along the way by adults who live on the margins themselves. I write about the world we live in, and the world inside my head. They tend to be quite different places.

My latest novel for kids and parents, GROWING UP RITA, is the story of a mother and daughter caught up with the problems of immigration. MELONHEAD and BEEKMAN'S BIG DEAL are now available in paperback and as ebooks.

I attended Trinity School in New York City, and the University of Rhode Island, where I met my wife. We live in Seattle, Washington with our dog, Banjo.

Reviews

[Jennifer Wardrip · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reviewed by Grandma Bev for TeensReadToo.com

A destitute teen mother abandons her infant in an apartment building, leaving a note with him, printed in childish block letters. "His name is Newboy. He is one week old. Please take care of him. I can't."

By the time Newboy is twelve years old he has stopped talking, and after a series of uncaring foster homes, he is sent to the worst one yet. Medical examinations and testing do not reveal a cause for his silence, but for Newboy, life is just easier that way. The Knoxes keep their flock of foster children on a very rigid schedule and all Newboy can think about is escaping to a freedom that he imagines will be much better.

When he does escape, he takes refuge in a garbage bin where he finds a foul-smelling and damaged ventriloquist's dummy. He names the doll "Stinko." Newboy is able to talk through the dummy and express himself for the first time in several years. Newboy meets other runaways like himself living on the dangerous streets and they form alliances that help them survive. Mr. and Mrs. Knox are relentlessly searching for him...after all, the State pays them for his care.

This is a touching story of hardship, survival, and the friendships of children struggling against nearly insurmountable odds. Newboy's innate sense of right and wrong and his moral values remain intact in spite of his troubles and the young hoodlums that confront him.

de Guzman keeps the tempo fast-paced and exciting, with a cast of wonderful, compelling characters, as Newboy dodges his foster parents and young thugs that mean him harm and races toward a satisfying climax. I highly recommend this book...the short length and rapid pace will make it especially attractive to reluctant readers.

[Jennifer Priester · Rating 4 out of 5]

Continuing with my read and reviews of books featuring characters with selective mutism, this is another one listed under elective mutism that I’m not sure how I feel about. It starts off well. There are some relatable things. Newboy can’t make himself talk, whether he wants to or not. It’s not overly detailed about his experiences with not talking at school or home. Teachers become frustrated with him and so does Newboy to the point where he gives up trying. Although, it’s not meant to be about selective mutism as it doesn’t focus on that, I wish his school life was more detailed as the same thing happened to me growing up with SM. He shows he can easily communicate through writing the same as I could, however, just as I experienced, the school is not accepting of. He answers everyone in his head, as I have always done as well, showing the words are there, he understands and has the words to say what he wants to, he just can’t figure out how to say them out loud. Newboy finds out, after finding the ventriloquist’s doll he names Stinko, that he is able to speak through the doll. I don’t remember ever having anything that worked for me like that. I discovered I could talk to animals, but not people. It’s different, but my thoughts of why can I do this, when I can’t speak at other times, have always been similar to Newboy’s thoughts during this moment of discovery. I’ve always had conversations with fictional characters in my head, as well as having many imaginary friends that I talked to. Sometimes I was able to speak out loud when I was alone to these characters, and like Newboy with Stinko, it didn’t matter to me that I was holding both ends of the conversation. Newboy is able to take things further and talk to other people as long as he does it through Stinko. The main thing I just don’t agree with in this book, is the end where Newboy talks on his own without Stinko and his reason is simply because he wanted to. The only reason this is a problem for me is because selective mutism/elective mutism is the inability to talk despite wanting to speak due to extreme anxiety. Talking with SM is not as simple as just wanting to talk and doing it. For a while, Newboy does seem to know he can talk without the dummy and just chooses not to which is why the ending does make sense, however SM is not a choice and I’m not sure if it’s really realistic to me or not how Newboy went from talking to not talking and back again. I feel like it is possible talking through Stinko for long enough could have built his confidence enough to begin talking without using him, but to me, there’s not enough details to support the transition to make it feel realistic in the sense that I was looking for. Otherwise, I feel like it’s a good book and I would probably recommend it to a kid with SM.

[Finn · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story for this book has a very melancholy feel overall and reminds me of old children's movies in which a lot of stuff happens but there is no clearly defined end goal for the characters. As there is a bit of back and forth on what the characters actually want, it makes the ending feel a little abrupt since I didn't get a more "hopeful" sense from their decision.

The plot of this book is pretty breakneck and you don't get any time to breathe between plot points, which does make sense since it is less than 200 pages, but since the plot is so fast with not a ton of descriptors, it feels like an outline of a novel instead of a 100% complete work.

Overall an interesting read, especially for a book I stumbled upon on accident.

[Krista Stevens · Rating 3 out of 5]

Recommended by JAAL - Newboy runs away from his latest abusive foster home and tries to survive on the streets. He meets other street kids and tries to elude capture by the foster adults who are searching for him. Due to psychological stress (I am guessing), Newboy stops talking but when he finds a ventriloquist dummy in a dumpster, he speaks through him.

Overall, too many loose ends (what does happen to Penny?), adults are all broken/bad, and it's just too hard to accept everything that happens.

[Salsabrarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

After a series of living in foster homes all his life, Newboy is determined to make his current escape from the system permanent. On the streets, he discovers a battered ventriloquist's dummy which he uses to speak (at age 9, Newboy stopped talking). Newboy finds a family of sorts with other homeless kids. It's all about finding where one belongs. Life on the streets is tough (there are scenes of beating and force) but considering the target age for this book, there is no raw language, and nothing too brutal or beyond age development. It could be a book that saves someone.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Newbo, abandoned by his mother, grows up in the system. When the timing is good, he escapes from a pair of no good foster parents, lands in a dumpster and finds Stinko, a ventriloquist's dummy. Newboy doesn't talk for himself; Stinko talks for him. Newboy and Stinko find some street kids to team up with and start a new life -- while the old foster parents are searching for him (and the money he brings).

I have no idea why this bizarre little story was in the children's section.

[Dodie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Newboy, abandoned as a baby and now on his 11th foster family in so many years, has had it. He runs away from the Knox family and heads to the city to be on his own. He stopped speaking when he was nine years old, and not until he finds an old, beat up ventriloquist’s dummy in a dumpster is Newboy able to find his voice again. Readers will be rooting for him to completely break away from the foster care system and make it on his own.

[Lindi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting story of an abandoned boy, stuck in foster care. Newboy stopped talking several years ago and has given up on anyone helping him -- with reason. Foster care has certainly not been helpful to him.

Once he finds an old ventriloquist's dummy and starts accepting help from others, he also finds his voice. I loved how de Guzman ends the book. It's a story about finding his voice, not about getting safe or finding a home. Nicely done.

[Vicki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Compelling and face paced story of a boy who, after being abandoned at birth, grows up in the foster care system. At the age of 12 he runs away from the most brutal of the homes and takes to the streets. This is a very grim story, with seemingly no hope or respite from despair. The ending could have redeemed it as a kids read, but it is just too dark.

[Wendy A · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fairly deep subject matter for many third graders... Foster care system, abuse, abandonment and living on the streets are all enormous challenges in Newboy's life. His consolation? His first friend, a dilapidated ventriloquist's dummy he finds in a dumpster and whom he names Stinko. Great characterization, just pretty intense.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent kids book about surviving on the streets, friendship, and loyalty. The story moves fast, with lots of excitement mixed with quieter scenes. I'd recommend this to teens as well as preteens. Not for the little guys -- there is a beating and some scary scenes.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

A mute runaway ward of the state finds a ventriloquist's dummy and ducks into life on the streets. Quick and gritty. Midnight Cowboy for the PG set. I've got the guitar riff from Harry Nilsson's "Everybody's Talkin" running through my head since polishing it off.

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my FAVORITES!

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Newboy, a mute, escapes life in a bad foster home and ends up on the streets. When he finds Stinko, he finds his voice. This is a nicely crafted shorter story that left me wishing for more.

[Sylvia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A boy from fostercare strikes out on his own and finds his voice back thru his friends and a dummy puppet.

[Candace]

I learned that street life is tough for a kid, but foster home life is worse than that.

[Sara Foster · Rating 2 out of 5]

For Battle of the Books.

[Barb Ullman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fast-paced urban adventure

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous! Well-written, intelligent and very moving.