When I Was Five I Killed Myself by Howard Buten
Howard Buten immediately sets the tone of this story in the first chapter when the narrator, a boy named Burton Rembrandt, tells the readers, "So I layed down on the floor: I stuck out my pointer finger and pointed it at my head. And I pushed down my thumb. And killed myself." In the next chapter we find Burton in the Children's Trust Residence Center. During the remainder of the book Burton tells us about his time in the CTRC and his life before that. Burton's life and understanding of what goes on around him are both hilarious and heartbreaking. On the funny side, Burt uses words like -- to be candid, conniption fit, very good citizenship, and pungent -- sometimes correctly sometimes not. Then on the sad side, adults often misinterpret Burt's behavior resulting in painful repercussions. Check catalog for availability.
Submitted by Paula N. @ MPL Central