Chapter 2 Summary

Palmer LaRue's mother calls him downstairs because the guests for his ninth birthday party have arrived. Palmer questions his mother about the validity of her statement because he does not have any real friends and does not believe that anyone he has invited has actually come. When Palmer opens the door, he is thrilled to see Beans, Mutto, and Henry, three boys from the neighborhood whose presence here today validates Palmer as one of the boys' group. Palmer's mother thinks the three boys are a bit rough for Palmer and is not pleased that the gifts they have brought are a cigar stub, a rotten apple core, and an old sock. Palmer cannot tell his mother that these gifts mean more to him than the beautifully wrapped gifts she has offered because the boys' gifts stem from their ingenuity and their acceptance of...