Summary

Chapter 1

The narrator, Little Man, is an 11-year-old boy with a profound stutter. For this reason, he likes to type on an old typewriter someone once left at his house. Little Man's best friend is Mam, the maid who works for his family. Her name is really Miss Nellie Avent, but Little Man has trouble with N and V sounds. That is why he calls her Mam. Little Man's other best friend is Rat. Rat’s real name is Art, but Little Man has trouble with those sounds. Rat also does not mind the change Little Man has made to his name.

Rat is spending July on his grandparents’ farm. Little Man has agreed to take over Rat’s paper route for the month, but he is nervous about having to collect the paper money on Fridays. Little Man speaks to Mam about...