The Seventh Most Important Thing (published in 2016) by Shelley Pearsall revolves around Arthur Owens, a thirteen-year-old boy who is caught throwing a brick at the Junk Man, an older man who is always seen pushing a shopping cart filled with garbage. Instead of sending Arthur to a juvenile detention center for his actions, the judge gives him an unusual sentence—to work for the Junk Man, whose real name is James Hampton, and help him collect the junk he cherishes.
Arthur enters a world completely different from his own as he assists Hampton in collecting the "Seven Most Important Things": light reflectors, foil, mirrors, wood, glass, pieces of colored paper, and cardboard. Throughout this journey, Arthur slowly starts to understand that the junk they collect is not garbage but rather materials Hampton uses to create a mysterious art project in a rented garage. This masterpiece later becomes known as "The Throne of the Third Heaven of the Nations' Millennium General Assembly," one of the most important examples of American folk art.
The Seventh Most Important Thing was well-received upon its publication in 2016. Pearsall was praised for her exploration of the transformative power of art and its ability to provide a sense of purpose. Reflecting that, in their review of the novel, Kirkus Reviews wrote that the novel is "Luminescent, just like the artwork it celebrates."
