Onion John

Onion John is about a normal 12 year-old boy in conflict with his father over his friendship with an unusual friend, Onion John. Onion John is a homeless man that doesn't speak English. However, Onion John knows about nature, and meditation. The boy convinces the town to build Onion John a home,

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and the project brings the entire community together. Unfortunately, the community wants to build Onion John a 'regular respectful house' and Onion John likes his wood stove and having his bathtub in the living room. This is a classic coming of age tale about the first time a boy realizes that his dad is wrong about something, the first time the boy makes his own decision. Eventually his father understands that his son is growing up.

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Onion John is Andy’s best friend, but Onion John is not an ordinary kid….Onion John is a man who does things his own way. John has lived in Serenity for many years, scavenging to furnish his home, working a little to buy food and supplies. Then he needs a new hinge for his door and suddenly

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everyone wants to change Onion John, from his home to his ways of making a living to his ways of thinking. The town gets together and decides to build a brand new house for John; it is not really what John wants and before the second day has passed, the house has burned to the ground. Should we change people? Should we try and make everyone fit in? Can it be done? Or does a world need people who don’t quite fit, people like Onion John?

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My favorite book from elementary school (besides Beaverly Cleary books).
Still think this book is the reason I like onions

Andy is such a likeable and innocent boy - not a lot of 12 year olds like him in the world today. Mr. Krumgold creates characters who are memorable and parents who can admit when they are wrong and children who can love and respect their parents even when they don't agree. Lovely.

Onion John is a genial, eccentric old tramp in the town of Serenity. 12-year old Andrew becomes best friends with the old man, who barely speaks a word of English. Yet, somehow, Andrew can understand him.
At first, Andrew's father wants to keep his son away from the old man, because he wants his boy

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to grow up to be an engineer, and Onion John's crazy superstitions are, he believes, hazardous to his son's education. But in time, his father decides the town should help out Onion John... by building him a new house. One that Onion John himself doesn't want. But he's too nice to risk hurting anyone's feelings about it.
Although it seems through most of the book that Andy and his relationship with Onion John are the focus, the real point of the story is his relationship with his father.

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