In 1965, Victor Vollmer, from Paper Boy, has graduated from high school and is readying for college. Ever since he started delivering newspapers, he has looked up to Mr. Spiro, who was a mentor. Mr. Spiro guided him with questions designed for him to learn about himself. Now Mr. Spiro has died, and he had a last request that Vic takes seriously. Mr. Spiro wanted Victor to drop his ashes at the mouth of the Mississippi River, and Vic wants to do that right away. His parents are opposed, however, so Vic decides to head down to Louisiana by himself.
Vic stutters, and he has to work very hard to shape his sentences so he can communicate as best he can. When he is offered the job of continuing working at the local Memphis newspaper, Vic takes it but knows it will be a disappointment to his parents, who want him to focus on college and play baseball. First, he must drop the ashes. The copy editor has a friend in New Orleans who has a friend down near the coast, and Vic plans on connecting with them to accomplish his goal.
Heading south in his little sport car, Vic begins the journey of a lifetime, inspired by Mr. Spiro's words and actions. During his trip, meets Philomene, a vigorous teenager who loves being on the river. With Phil's help, Vic learns that the voice he has is his own, stuttering or not, and that there are many people out there who will lie him and love him, regardless of his disability.
Fans of historical and realistic fiction will appreciate this sequel to Paper Boy, which takes place 5 years later, and will enjoy seeing how much Victor has grown in this time, but will really appreciate how much more he has to learn while looking for the mouth of the Mississippi.
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