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Until Tomorrow, Mr. Marsworth

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Until Tomorrow, Mr. Marsworth

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Overview

Set against the backdrop of the Vietnam War, one young girl is determined to save her brother from the draft—and gets help from an unlikely source—in this middle-grade tale, perfect for fans of The Wednesday Wars

When eleven-year-old Reenie Kelly’s mother passes away, she and her brothers are shipped off to live with their grandmother. Adjusting to life in her parents’ Midwestern hometown isn’t easy, but once Reenie takes up a paper route with her older brother Dare, she has something she can look forward to. As they introduce themselves to every home on their route, Reenie’s stumped by just one—the house belonging to Mr. Marsworth, the town recluse. When he doesn’t answer his doorbell, Reenie begins to leave him letters. Slowly, the two become pen pals, striking up the most unlikely of friendships.

Through their letters, Reenie tells of her older brother Billy, who might enlist to fight in the Vietnam War. Reenie is desperate to stop him, and when Mr. Marsworth hears this, he knows he can’t stand idly by. As a staunch pacifist, Mr. Marsworth offers to help Reenie. Together, they concoct a plan to keep Billy home, though Reenie doesn’t know Mr. Marsworth’s dedication to her cause goes far beyond his antiwar beliefs.

In this heartwarming piece of historical fiction, critically acclaimed author Sheila O’Connor delivers a tale of devotion, sacrifice, and family.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780698173712
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	04/03/2018
Sold by:	Penguin Group
Format:	eBook
Pages:	368
File size:	9 MB
Age Range:	10 Years

About the Author

Sheila O'Connor is the critically acclaimed author of Sparrow Road, winner of the International Reading Award, and Keeping Safe the Stars, as well as the adult novels Tokens of Grace and Where No Gods Came, winner of the Michigan Prize for Literary Fiction and the Minnesota Book Award. A writer of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction for audiences of all ages, Sheila is a professor in the MFA program at Hamline University, where she also serves as the fiction editor for Water~Stone Review.

Read an Excerpt

Tuesday, June 11, 1968

Dear Mr. Marsworth,

Hello from Reenie Kelly from Missouri, your brand-new summer paperboy. You can count on me to deliver your Tribune. I’m staying with my gram at the top of Gardner Hill. Temporarily. Any problems with your paper, you can find me at Blanche Kelly’s. We’ll be stuck at Gram’s on Gardner until our family has a home.

No one thinks a girl should have a route except for me, but Gram said that I could split the route with Dare. I’m eleven, twelve in August. Dare’s thirteen. I’m not too young to have my own route, Mr. Marsworth. I helped Dare deliver papers back in Denton, and I helped my oldest brother, Billy, before Dare. It’s high time I have at least six blocks of houses to myself.

This week I’ve gone door-to-door to say hey to all my customers, and so far I’ve met all of them but you.

I can’t knock on your door because I can’t unlock your gate, or climb that pointy iron fence around your yard. I’ve rung your rusted bell, but no one comes.

I saw a shadow in your window so someone must be home. Gram says that you’re a loner, but a loner can say hey. And I’m a loner too now, Mr. Marsworth. I’m a new girl in Lake Liberty without a single friend. Two loners could say hey through that tall fence. Mom always said some friendly never hurt.

When we meet up face-to-face, you’ll see for yourself a girl can do this job. (If customers don’t want a girl, Gram says I have to give my half to Dare.)

Give a man a handshake, that’s how Dad taught Dare and Billy to do business, and since this is my first business, I want to do it right.

Is there a time that you could meet me, Mr. Marsworth?

Yours Truly,
Reenie Kelly

P.S. Could you tell me if you own a mean dog, Mr. Marsworth? That iron fence looks like it’s meant for a mad dog. It’s best if I’m prepared before I start my route next week. In Denton, the Palmers’ vicious shepherd bit me twice.

P.P.S. I know folks wish Glen Taylor wasn’t moving to Mankato, but I promise I’ll do twice the job Glen Taylor ever did. You won’t be disappointed in my service, Mr. Marsworth. A week from Friday when his route is mine, I’ll prove to you I’m right!

P.P.P.S. Do you want your paper rolled or folded? AND how will I collect if I can’t get past your gate?

From the B&N Reads Blog

Page 1 of

Until Tomorrow, Mr. Marsworth: An Interview with Author Sheila O’Connor About Penpals and Protests

Until Tomorrow, Mr. Marsworth is told back-and-forth in letters. What inspired this format? What was most challenging about writing a story this way? I have always loved letters, both for what is said and unsaid depending on the receiver, and the way a letter allows the writer to express private thoughts that wouldn’t get said […]

02/26/2018
In this Vietnam-era epistolary novel, O’Connor (Sparrow Road) introduces a sweet and unexpected intergenerational friendship. When the feisty and persistent 11-year-old Reenie Kelly takes on a summer paper route that includes reclusive, elderly Mr. Marsworth, she begins to write him chatty, confessional letters. Her worries unfold believably: she’s new to the Minnesota town of Lake Liberty, desperately wishes for a friend, is frustrated living with her strict Grams after her mother’s death, and misses her absent father, who is working to pay off their medical debts. Foremost among her concerns is keeping her brother Billy out of the war by sending him to college, a seemingly impossible goal given their dire financial situation. The narrative also includes Reenie’s letter exchanges with her Vietnam soldier pen pal, Billy’s anti-war letter to the Minneapolis Tribune, and even Reenie’s plea to President Johnson to end the draft. O’Connor drives home the cost of protest, illustrating the enduring hatred in the community toward Quaker Mr. Marsworth for his conscientious objection to WWI (“TRATOR” is painted on his cottage) and the animosity toward Reenie’s family. The close-up on the remarkable relationship between Reenie and Mr. Marsworth shines here, as do the larger historical insights and the book’s resonant themes of pacifism and patriotism. O’Connor creates nostalgia for an era of pen-and-ink communications. Ages 10–up. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for Until Tomorrow, Mr. Marsworth:
Indie Next Pick
MIBA Midwest Connections Pick
A Lectio Book Award Winner for 2019-2020
A Maine Student Book Award Nominee – 2019-2020
A Sequoyah Intermediate Book Award Nominee – 2020
A Magnolia Book Award Nominee – 2020

“Moving and thought-provoking.” — Kirkus Reviews

“This historical novel doesn’t shy away from hard truths about war and life, so keep a Kleenex box handy as you read it...an excellent choice for a class read-aloud.” — School Library Connection

“O’Connor’s characters are intriguing and easy to love … and [she] throws some interesting curve balls into the story that keep readers engaged and wanting more.” —School Library Journal

“The remarkable relationship between Reenie and Mr. Marsworth shines, as do the larger historical insights and the book’s resonant themes of pacifism and patriotism.” — Publishers Weekly

“Beautifully rendered…This is a sweet story about a girl trying to save her brother from the draft. But it is also a significant historical tale about war, bullies, peace, friendship and family.”—Star Tribune

"The small town setting hits just the right note and perfectly illustrates the tension and division of the era. This is a most satisfying read and a worthy addition to young adult libraries."—VOYA

“In this heartwarming piece of historical fiction, critically acclaimed author Sheila O’Connor delivers a tale of devotion, sacrifice, and family.”—The Children’s Book Review

From the Publisher

03/01/2018
Gr 4–6—When her mother passes away, Reenie and her family go to live with her grandmother. To help her adjust, Reenie starts a paper route with her older brother Dare. As she begins to introduce herself to the people on her route, she meets a hermit named Mr. Marsworth. Slowly, the two become pen pals. When Reenie tells the elderly man that her older brother Billy wants to enlist to fight in the Vietnam War, Mr. Marsworth helps her concoct a plan to keep him home. Despite Reenie feeling more mature than a typical 11-year-old, O'Connor's characters are intriguing and easy to love. References to pop culture (the Beetles) and historical events (the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.) are peppered throughout Reenie's letters. O'Connor also incorporates opposing attitudes toward the Vietnam War into the narrative. The plot is well developed and the author throws some interesting curve balls into the story that keep readers engaged and wanting more. However, the epistolary format may be a turn off for some students. VERDICT An easy addition to libraries where Gary D. Schmidt's Wednesday Wars is popular.—Kira Moody, Salt Lake County Library Services

School Library Journal

2018-02-04
In the summer of 1968, Reenie Kelly learns about the costs of war and peaceful opposition.New in Lake Liberty, Minnesota, where she and her brothers now live with her grandmother since their family was bankrupted by her mother's fatal illness, 11-year-old Reenie takes on a paper route and strikes up a correspondence with one of her customers, reclusive H.W. Marsworth, a World War I draft resister. Reenie's older brother Billy also faces the draft, since he doesn't have the money for college, one way to avoid or at least postpone fighting in Vietnam. Reenie is determined to keep him out of the war, and both Mr. Marsworth and her Army pen pal, Pfc. Skip Nichols, support her goal. This heart-tugging story is told entirely in letters, mostly between the loquacious Reenie and her elderly customer, hers in faux hand printing on lined-paper backgrounds and his typed. These letters demonstrate their growing friendship as well as Reenie's developing activism and increasing understanding of what nonviolence really entails. There's also the revelation of a surprising family secret. The moral dilemma is laid out clearly for young readers; the author makes clear that there are no easy answers, though Billy's problem is conveniently solved. The book seems to subscribe to the white default.Moving and thought-provoking for middle-grade readers. (Historical fiction. 9-12)

Kirkus Reviews