ISBN: 9781606936061
Second Hand Art
By Cynthia Fabian
Ten-year-old Henry wishes he could stop stuttering and be as good as his sister Melba. Henry, his sister, and their mother live in Rockaway Queens near the beach, and Henry loves to escape to the boardwalk. He never knows what he will find there. One day, there might be a band playing music he’s never heard. Another day, he might see a person riding around on a strange thing that looks like a giant tricycle, but has four wheels instead of three. And some days, Henry finds Allen, a local artist who uses recycled materials to make beautiful works of art and doesn’t mind talking to kids. Those are Henry’s favorite days. But the best day of all is the day Henry realizes what Allen’s Second Hand Art can teach him about himself! Once they were broken and abandoned, but they can become beautiful in time. Sometimes they even create a shape that resembles a flower. It is this metaphor that beauty in life and broken dreams can yield positive results.