Cletus- A classmate of Summer's, he is viewed as the strangest student at her school. He meets Uncle Ob by chance shortly after May's death, and the two quickly become friends. Although Summer is not fond of him, she tolerates his presence since Ob enjoys his company. She begins to look more kindly upon him as time goes on. He claims to have had a near-death experience as a child, which gives Ob hope of being able to contact May's spirit. References Newbery Medal–winning works 1992 American novels American children's novels Novels set in Appalachia Novels set in West Virginia Novels about orphans 1992 children's books Orchard Books books