Hyde, Catherine Ryan
Description
Product Description
Pay It Forward is a wondrous and moving story about Trevor McKinney, a twelve-year-old boy in a small California town who accepts
...
the challenge that his teacher gives his class a chance to earn extra credit by coming up with a plan to change the world for the better -- and to put that plan into action.
The plan that Trevor comes up with is so simple -- and so naïve -- that when others learn of it they are dismissive. Even Trevor himself begins to doubt when his "pay it forward" plan seems to founder on a combination of bad luck and the worst of human nature.
What is his idea? Trevor chooses three people for whom he will do a favor, and then when those people thank him and ask how they might pay him back, he will tell them that instead of paying him back they should each "pay it forward" by choosing three people for whom they can do favors, and in turn telling those people to pay it forward. It's nothing less than a human chain letter of kindness and good will. But will it work?
In the end, Pay It Forward is the story of seemingly ordinary people made extraordinary by the simple faith of a child. In the tradition of the successful and inspirational television show Touched by an Angel, and the phenomenally successful novel and film Forrest Gump, Pay It Forward is a work of charm, wit, and remarkable inspiration, a story of hope for today and for many tomorrows to come.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Pay It Forward
By Catherine Ryan Hyde Simon & SchusterCopyright © 2000 Catherine Ryan Hyde
All right reserved.
ISBN: 9780684872384
Prologue
October 2002
Maybe someday I'll have kids of my own. I hope so. If I do, they'll probably askwhat part I played in the movement that changed the world. And because I'm notthe person I once was, I'll tell them the truth. My part was nothing. I didnothing. I was just the guy in the corner taking notes.
My name is Chris Chandler and I'm an investigative reporter. Or at least I was.Until I found out that actions have consequences, and not everything is under mycontrol. Until I found out that I couldn't change the world at all, but aseemingly ordi-nary twelve-year-old boy could change the world completely ? forthe better, and forever ? working with nothing but his own altruism, one goodidea, and a couple of years. And a big sacrifice.
And a splash of publicity. That's where I came in.
I can tell you how it all started.
It started with a teacher who moved to Atascadero, California, to teach socialstudies to junior high school students. A teacher nobody knew very well, becausethey couldn't get past his face. Because it was hard to look at his face.
It started with a boy who didn't seem all that remarkable on the outside, butwho could see past his teacher's face.
It started with an assignment that this teacher had given out a hundred timesbefore, with no startling results. But that assignment in the hands of that boycaused a seed to be planted, and after that nothing in the world would ever bethe same. Nor would anybody want it to be.
And I can tell you what it became. In fact, I'll tell you a story that will helpyou understand how big it grew.
About a week ago my car stalled in a busy intersection, and it wouldn't startagain no matter how many times I tried. It was rush hour, and I thought I was ina hurry. I thought I had something important to do, and it couldn't wait. So Iwas standing in the middle of the intersection looking under the hood, which wasa misguided effort because I can't fix cars. What did I think I would see?
I'd been expecting this. It was an old car. It was as good as gone.
A man came up behind me, a stranger.
"Let's get it off to the side of the road," he said. "Here. I'll help you push."When we got it ? and ourselves ? to safety he handed me the keys to his car. Anice silver Acura, barely two years old. "You can have mine," he said. "We'lltrade."
He didn't give me the car as a loan. He gave it to me as a gift. He took myaddress, so
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