7/10 ( )

4.5 Stars ( )

I loved everything about this beautifully crafted story. Not sure it will appeal to my young readers. It almost seems too intense and sad. But I think it’s a book about loss and growth. While Davey is growing physically it’s Lenny that is growing and learning to make sense of her world. The characters feel real and I felt drawn into their lives. I’m intrigued by the American setting. It doesn’t seem a particularly American story and it could have easily been set in Brisbane. ( )

Lenny’s little brother Davey is growing far beyond the average for his age; at age 5 he is as big as a 4th grader. Soon he is taller than Lenny and their elderly babysitter Mrs. Gaspar. He is diagnosed with a tumor in his brain that is impacting the pituitary and causing the exceeding growth, requiring surgery and radiation. But before all that comes to bear, Lenny and Davey look forward to receiving their issues of Burrell’s Build-it-At-Home Encyclopedia Set and poring over the knowledge within. Warm and humorous treatment of a brother/sister relationship and its evolution as Davey’s disease becomes more impactful on the family dynamics. The characters are realistic with distinct personalities: Mother’s harried practicality, grandmotherly Mrs. Gaspar, the agreeable, galumphing Davey, and Lenny, practical like her mother but yearning for something more she doesn’t have. Nice flow of dialogue and plot (although sometimes the encyclopedia scenes seemed to slow the story). ( )

It made me laugh, which is rare in a book.
And then it made me cry...and that has never happened from a book.
A beautiful story, told with warmth and charm. ( )