by Newberry
Andy Rusch lives in a small New Jersey town where everyone knows Onion John, the strange immigrant who builds impossible contraptions and speaks in broken English mixed with his native tongue. Andy finds himself drawn to the odd man who lives in a shack made of stone and salvaged materials. When Andy's father decides the town should help Onion John by building him a proper house and teaching him modern ways, Andy watches his friend struggle with changes he never wanted. The boy must navigate between his father's well-meaning plans and his loyalty to Onion John, who seems to understand things about life that others miss. As the adults push harder to transform Onion John into their idea of what he should be, Andy learns difficult lessons about friendship, acceptance, and the price of trying to change someone who is content with who they are.
Genres: family-life, american-fiction, friendship, 20th-century, coming-of-age
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: New Jersey
Period: 20th Century
Hardcover · Amer School Pub