76 pages • 2 hours read
Betsy ByarsThe Pinballs
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1976A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Chapters 22-26Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 22 Summary
By Thursday evening, Harvey is much worse. He has stopped speaking and eating and needs to be fed via a tube.
Carlie sneaks into Thomas J’s room at night with a newspaper and a flashlight. Thomas J can’t sleep without Harvey there. Carlie reveals her plan: She found an ad for free puppies. Tomorrow, they’ll go get one in secret and bring it to the hospital to surprise Harvey on his birthday. They agree to share the consequences of their covert activity should it anger the Masons.
Chapter 23 Summary
Carlie and Thomas J sneak the puppy into Harvey’s room. They surprise him with it and sing “Happy Birthday.” At first, Harvey, expressionless, says nothing, staring at the puppy. Finally, he asks if the puppy is for him. When Carlie affirms it is, he cries uncontrollably for the first time since the accident.
A nurse hears the commotion, and they hide the puppy before she enters. Harvey is still sobbing. He asks for Cokes so the three can celebrate and then shows the nurse the puppy. She tactfully pretends not to see it lest she “have to send him out right this minute” (121).
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By Betsy Byars
