Parents' Guide to The Boy on the Porch

Book Sharon Creech Family Life 2013
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Common Sense Media Review

Blair Jackson By Blair Jackson , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 9+

Wonderful story of mute boy mysteriously left on farm.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 9+?

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age 12+

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age 7+

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What's the Story?

A young childless couple living on a farm wake one day to the sight of a 6- or 7-year-old boy sleeping on their front porch. A nearby note asks them to care for \"Jacob\" until they are able to come back and get him. The couple, John and Marta, quickly discover that Jacob is mute, but they learn as the days pass that he has an uncanny affinity for music, and he also seems to be able to communicate with the many animals around the farm. While John and Marta do everything they can to make Jacob's life happy and to provide a loving home, they know he'll probably not be with them for long, and they feel it's their responsibility to search for whomever left Jacob with them. What should they tell their neighbors and people in town about how this unusual but remarkable child came into their care? What will happen if and when the writer of the note returns for Jacob?

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say ( 1 ):
Kids say ( 1 ):

This wonderfully told story is, at its core, a mystery: Who is the boy on the porch, and where did he come from? Sharon Creech does a superb job of building tension as the story progresses, balancing vignettes of the boy's happy life on the farm with scenes of the anxious search for his identity.

The chapters are short and the prose simple and straightforward -- much like the humble country people it depicts. Yet there's also a realistic complexity to the main characters, and it's easy to relate to their shifting emotions as situations and circumstances change. This is a great book for young readers, who will enjoy both the story and the mostly fond depiction of rural life (in an unspecified year).

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about John and Marta's decision to keep the details about Jacob's identity -- or what little they know about him -- from their friends and people in town. Should they have told the sheriff the truth right away?

  • The only modern conveniences mentioned in the book are cars and telephones. Do you think it would be hard to live in a world with no televisions, computers, or cell phones? Would you like to visit or live on a farm?

  • If a boy like Jacob showed up at your house to stay for a while, what would you teach him? How would you communicate with him?

  • What do you think happens to Jacob after the main story ends? What effect do you think Jacob has on John and Marta?

Book Details

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