Paperboy tells the story as only an afternoon paperboy in rural America in the sixties can. Thousands of readers identified with the unique characters of Colby while reading The Bridge. They grew to love Tommy and the band of boys, were entertained by their childish pranks, and touched by their generosity.
In Paperboy, change is coming to Colby. The shoe factory has sold and a hat factory is taking its place. A factory manager has been named and he's definitely not from Colby. There's an influx of interesting newcomers.
The high school principal is also new to Colby. He must deal with teenage pregnancy, the snooping high school office secretary, and the Colby Curls rumor mill. He, too, has a mysterious past and uses it to his advantage.
The pregnant teen and her auto-mechanic single mother aren't Colby natives either. Rumors about both abound. The mother has a past which touches the present, and eventually involves the entire town. Tommy and Booger, while delivering the Colby Telegraph, discover that Colby's patriarch, Mr. Koch, has a heroic but classified history. While raking leaves for Mrs. Whitener, they learn the origin of her accent and how she got to Colby. It's not what most people think.
Jupiter Storm, the town's primary purveyor of gossip, whose opinion always exceeds his knowledge, is perpetually annoying. But Tommy and Booger learn that Jupiter is a decorated World War II veteran. And when a threatening stranger appears on the scene, the entire town learns of Jupiter's unique but redeeming skill. How will Colby be different, and how will it be the same?
About the Author
Stan Crader was born and raised in Bollinger County Missouri. Coming of age in rural Missouri provided him the material for many of the rich characters in his books. He credits the variety of jobs and the people he worked with for providing him his creative foundation.
After graduating from high school he attended the University of Missouri, where he fully realized the uniqueness of his hometown. He met his wife Debbie at a Missouri / Nebraska football game, in which Missouri won. Some believe that Debbie considered Stan a project; most feel she still has much work to do. Stan and Debbie live near the Bollinger County area. Their three boys are grown and gone, but the Golden Retriever remains.
Stan's favorite hobby is writing, but he's passionate about flying and also enjoys biking, hiking, scuba diving, snow skiing, snowshoeing, maple sap collecting and photography.