Is it hard to read?
No, Toby’s conversational, direct first-person narration and the linear story keep it accessible. The focus is on relationships and everyday encounters, with little prerequisite knowledge needed.
Fiction · Novel · Historical Fiction · Children's
When Zachary Beaver Came to Town
Highly regardedNational Book Award, 1999Reading facts
✓ Checked- Reading effort
- 27 / 100Light
- Length
- 256 pagesSquare Fish · 2014
- Reading time
- 5 hat 50 pages an hour ·
- Pace
- Measured
- Emotional intensity
- 3 / 5
About 5 h · at 30 minutes a day, about 11 days
Estimated from the page count of this edition. Dense books can take longer than the estimate.
About the book
Thirteen-year-old Toby Wilson's mother is chasing a country-music career in Nashville, his best friend Cal's older brother is fighting in Vietnam, and his crush already has a boyfriend. In Antler, Texas, everyone knows his family's business. Then a trailer arrives carrying Zachary Beaver, a teenager people pay to stare at because of his enormous size, and Toby and Cal begin getting to know the boy behind the attraction.
Reader notes
Toby's awkward, observant first-person narration is funny and sometimes sorrowful. The pace is unhurried, following everyday encounters and small embarrassments in a middle-grade coming-of-age novel about friendship, family disappointment and learning to see past appearances.
How it reads
- Writing style
- Conversational · Direct
- Tone
- Hopeful · Reflective · Wistful
- Structure
- Linear
- Driven by
- Character · Relationships
- Point of view
- First person
- Setting
- Antler, Texas
Reading complexity
- Writing
- 2 / 5
- Ideas
- 2 / 5
- Structure
- 2 / 5
- Background knowledge
- 1 / 5
About this profile
Collected’s assessment, not reader ratings. Complexity runs from 1 (least demanding) to 5 (most demanding).
- Writing
- How much attention the sentences and language require.
- Ideas
- How much interpretation or abstract reasoning the book asks of you.
- Structure
- How much you need to keep track of speakers, timelines and connections.
- Background knowledge
- Prior knowledge needed to follow the book, beyond what it explains.
- Emotional intensity
- Emotional pressure, from gentle (1) to intense (5). Separate from difficulty.
Themes
- Belonging
- Coming of age
- Family
- Friendship
- Grief
Content notes
- Violence
- Mild
- Sexual content
- Mild
- Swearing
- Not yet assessed
- Substance use
- Mild
- Abuse
- Mild
- Self-harm or suicide
- None
Standing and awards
Highly regarded
- National Book Award, 1999
Questions readers ask
Does it move quickly?
No, the pace is unhurried, following small embarrassments and everyday encounters in Antler, Texas. Toby and Cal’s growing friendship with Zachary provides the central character focus.
Is it a cheerful story or a sad one?
Toby’s awkward, observant narration is funny and sometimes sorrowful. Family disappointment and grief give the story a wistful quality, alongside its hopeful treatment of friendship and belonging.
Who is it best suited to?
It suits middle-grade readers looking for a character-focused coming-of-age story about friendship and family. Toby’s small-town life and his encounters with Zachary center on learning to see past appearances.
How long is it?
256 pages in the Square Fish 2014 paperback edition.
Which edition is shown here?
Square Fish · 2014 · paperback. ISBN 9781250061553.
How long does it take to read When Zachary Beaver Came to Town?
About 5 hours at 50 pages an hour, based on the 256-page Square Fish edition. Dense books can take longer.
About the author
Kimberly Willis Holt
Kimberly Willis Holt writes character-centered fiction about young people navigating small communities, family pressures, and the judgments attached to difference. Her prose is direct and descriptive, with relationships and youthful perceptions carrying more weight than elaborate plotting. In When Zachary Beaver Came to Town, a roadside spectacle becomes an invitation to look past an advertisement and consider the person being displayed. My Louisiana Sky places a twelve-year-old girl between loyalty to her intellectually disabled parents and the promise of escape from gossip and responsibility. Holt builds tension through embarrassment, curiosity, grief, and difficult choices within families and friendships.
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Edition and details
- Publisher
- Square Fish
- Publication year
- 2014
- Format
- paperback
- Pages
- 256
- ISBN
- 9781250061553
- Edition language
- English
- Original language
- English
- First published
- 1999
- Genres and form
- Fiction · Novel · Historical Fiction · Children's · Historical fiction
- Editions
- 15
- Languages
- 3 (German, English, Unspecified)
The catalog does not yet include a matching edition. Details may differ between editions.