Lenny's Book of Everything
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- $10.99
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
"Holy Batman, this is a gorgeous, heartbreaking, heartwarming book." --R.J. Palacio, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Wonder
Perfect for readers who love Liar and Spy, Counting by 7s, and Bridge to Terabithia, a heartwarming and transformative novel about family, loss, and never giving up from beloved author Karen Foxlee.
Lenny Spink is the sister of a giant. Her little brother, Davey, suffers from a rare form of gigantism and is taunted by other kids and turned away from school because of his size. To escape their cruel reality, Lenny and Davey obsess over the entries in their monthly installment of Burrell's Build-It-at-Home Encyclopedia set. Lenny vows to become a beetle expert, while Davey decides he will run away to Canada and build a log cabin. But as Davey's disease progresses, the siblings' richly imagined world becomes harder to cling to in this deeply moving and original novel about grief, family, and wonder.
"An imaginative and surprisingly tender story of the unbreakable bond between siblings."--Booklist, starred review
"Lyrical and emotionally complex."--Kirkus
"The heart of this story--and the magic of it--is the devotion of these two siblings who together navigate the harsh realities of life and loss."--Publishers Weekly
"Foxlee's writing is infused with a hint of magic, just as the animals and places that Lenny and Davey read about fill their lives with curiosity and joy."--SLJ
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Curious, practical narrator Lenny Spink lives in a small apartment in an Ohio suburb with her lovable younger brother, Davey, who can't seem to stop growing, and their single mother, who frets endlessly about his ever-increasing size and how she will afford clothes that fit him. With their father MIA and the smarmy Mr. King worming his way into their mother's life, Lenny and Davey find joy and inspiration in the weekly arrival of new sections for the build-it-at-home encyclopedia set they've won. But even as they dream of exploring the world pictured in those colorful pages, it becomes increasingly clear that Davey's puzzling growth spurts may be dangerous. Though Davey's character at times lacks depth and some may be bothered by the illness-as-literary-construct, Foxlee (A Most Magical Girl) surrounds him with characters who are as endearing as they are flawed: the fiercely protective Lenny, whose sharp tongue belies her longing for stable relationships, and Mrs. Gaspar, their meddlesome but doting neighbor. Themes of family and forgiveness are front and center, but the heart of this story and the magic of it is the devotion of these two siblings who together navigate the harsh realities of life and loss. Ages 8 12.