Macaroni Boy
by By Ayres, Katherine
Category: Juvenile Fiction , General

During the Great Depression, a boy who faces bullying stumbles upon a mystery and comes of age in this novel that integrates fact and opinion and has a rich 1930’s vocabulary. Extra material: An Author’s Note is included in the back of the book.Mike Costa has lived his whole life in The Strip, Pittsburgh’s warehouse and factory  district. His father’s large Italian family runs a food wholesale business, and Mike  is used to the sounds and smells of men working all night to unload the trains that  feed the city. But it’s 1933, and the Depression is bringing tough times to everyone.  Money problems only add to Mike’s worries about his beloved grandfather, who is getting  forgetful and confused.     Mike is being tormented at school by a loud-mouth named  Andy Simms, who calls Mike “Macaroni Boy.” But when dead rats start appearing in  the streets, that name changes to “Rat Boy.” Around the same time Mike notices that  his grandfather is also physically sick. Can whatever is killing the rats be hurting  Mike’s grandfather? It’s a mystery Mike urgently needs to solve in this atmospheric,  fast-paced story filled with vibrant period detail.