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	Pearsall, Shelley. THE SEVENTH MOST IMPORTANT THING New York : Alfred A. Knopf. 2015 IL 5-8, RL 5.1 ISBN 0553497294 (4 booktalks)
Click on the book to read Amazon reviews	Booktalk #1 Arthur lives with his mom and younger sister in Washington DC. Even though his father was far from perfect, and Arthur grieves for him, he's not ready forgive his mom for tossing his dad’s belongings after his death. And now he's furious at the raggedy old Junk Man who happens to be wearing his dad's favorite hat. Fortunately for Arthur, the Junk Man survives the brick Arthur throws at him. With Arthur on a one way path to juvie, it is the Junk Man himself who comes up with an alternative for the judge. Arthur will work off his 120 hours of community service working for the Junk Man. It isn’t long before Arthur understands that there is more to the Junk Man than one first sees. The “trash’ he is collecting has so much more meaning… a meaning that Arthur soon finds to be filled with lessons he will carry with him for the rest of his life. (Vermont DCF Book Award 2017) Booktalk #2 In the heat of the moment, a poor decision by Arthur gets him arrested. When the judge reluctantly grants him community service instead of sending him to juvie, Arthur isn’t so sure it is the best decision since his assignment is to collect junk for the man he severely injured. When the man becomes extremely picky and specific about the “junk” he is to collect, Arthur is ready to quit until he discovers what it is being used to create. (Pennsylvania Young Reader’s Choice Award 2017-2018) Booktalk #3 Angry over his father’s death, Arthur threw a brick at the local Junk Man (James Hampton) and broke the Junk Man’s arm. Now, Arthur will be spending his next 30 Saturdays collecting the seven most important things. At school Arthur is the seen as “juvie freak,” but an impulsive act of heroism results in friendship with fellow misfit, Squeak. Do you know what the seven most important things are? Lightbulbs, foil, mirrors, pieces of wood, glass bottles, coffee cans, and cardboard. Confused? So was Arthur Owens, at first. To discover what Mr. Hampton created read The Seventh Most Important Thing by Shelley Pearsall. (Oklahoma Intermediate Sequoyah Award, 2018) Booktalk #4 After his father’s death, Arthur throws a brick at the local “Junk Man” when he sees him wearing his father’s favorite hat. He is sentenced to community service working with the Junk Man to complete his mysterious project. (Connecticut Nutmeg Book Award nominee, 2018)
	SUBJECTS: African Americans -- Fiction. Artists -- Fiction. Community service (Punishment) -- Fiction. Folk art -- Fiction. Hampton, James, 1909-1964 -- Fiction.

Pearsall, Shelley.
THE SEVENTH MOST IMPORTANT THING
New York : Alfred A. Knopf. 2015
IL 5-8, RL 5.1
ISBN 0553497294

(4 booktalks)

Click on the book to read Amazon reviews

Booktalk #1

Arthur lives with his mom and younger sister in Washington DC. Even though his father was far from perfect, and Arthur grieves for him, he's not ready forgive his mom for tossing his dad’s belongings after his death. And now he's furious at the raggedy old Junk Man who happens to be wearing his dad's favorite hat. Fortunately for Arthur, the Junk Man survives the brick Arthur throws at him. With Arthur on a one way path to juvie, it is the Junk Man himself who comes up with an alternative for the judge. Arthur will work off his 120 hours of community service working for the Junk Man. It isn’t long before Arthur understands that there is more to the Junk Man than one first sees. The “trash’ he is collecting has so much more meaning… a meaning that Arthur soon finds to be filled with lessons he will carry with him for the rest of his life. (Vermont DCF Book Award 2017)

Booktalk #2

In the heat of the moment, a poor decision by Arthur gets him arrested. When the judge reluctantly grants him community service instead of sending him to juvie, Arthur isn’t so sure it is the best decision since his assignment is to collect junk for the man he severely injured. When the man becomes extremely picky and specific about the “junk” he is to collect, Arthur is ready to quit until he discovers what it is being used to create. (Pennsylvania Young Reader’s Choice Award 2017-2018)

Booktalk #3

Angry over his father’s death, Arthur threw a brick at the local Junk Man (James Hampton) and broke the Junk Man’s arm. Now, Arthur will be spending his next 30 Saturdays collecting the seven most important things. At school Arthur is the seen as “juvie freak,” but an impulsive act of heroism results in friendship with fellow misfit, Squeak. Do you know what the seven most important things are? Lightbulbs, foil, mirrors, pieces of wood, glass bottles, coffee cans, and cardboard. Confused? So was Arthur Owens, at first. To discover what Mr. Hampton created read The Seventh Most Important Thing by Shelley Pearsall. (Oklahoma Intermediate Sequoyah Award, 2018)

Booktalk #4

After his father’s death, Arthur throws a brick at the local “Junk Man” when he sees him wearing his father’s favorite hat. He is sentenced to community service working with the Junk Man to complete his mysterious project. (Connecticut Nutmeg Book Award nominee, 2018)

SUBJECTS:     African Americans -- Fiction.
                        Artists -- Fiction.
                        Community service (Punishment) -- Fiction.
                        Folk art -- Fiction.
                        Hampton, James, 1909-1964 -- Fiction.