A review by alongreader
Cardboard Cowboys by Brian Conaghan

5.0

Lenny is, in his own words, fat, jelly, blubber. The kids at his school never let him forget it, either, with snide remarks and 'funny' jokes all day. The teachers don't do much to rein it in, so sometimes Lenny cuts out and sits on his favourite bench by the river. That's where he's sitting the day he meets Bruce. And that's the day things start to change.

Brian's books usually smack me in the face, in the best way. This one wasn't as sharp; it was slower, more gradual, a figuring things out rather than having them spelt out to me. That's not a complaint; I like both ways, and it was nice not to go through quite as many tissues crying this time. (Still a few, though.)

Below you'll find my favourite quote from the book. This one really hit me;

"Ever since I caught you littering that day, you have brought nothing but joy to me."

"You mean that, Bruce? You really mean it?"

"Of course I mean it. If only you knew how much."

This is a wonderful story about a family who mean well but can't communicate it, a boy who's terrified of the one thing he wants most but brave enough to go after it anyway, and a man who, for no reason but kindness, helps him. I loved reading it. I'd love to see it in classrooms; I think it would do really well as a school novel, as well as for pleasure reading. (No reason they can't overlap, of course!)

Fantastic. I'm so glad I got to read it.