Karen Foxlee, will take your feelings on a roller-coaster ride when you read Lenny's Book of Everything as Lenny and her brother Davey burrow their way into your heart and remind you of the wonder and preciousness of life.
On the day Davey Spink was born his mum had a ‘dark heart feeling’ and felt 'something's not right'. Her feeling is right when Davey turns five and starts growing faster than he should. Davey is diagnosed with gigantism, a rare condition that causes him to keep growing. By the time Davey is seven he is man-sized and this is harmful for his health. Lenny is very protective of her younger brother, but she has her own challenges and it's not easy being the sister of ‘the giant’.
Lenny, Davey and their mum who works two jobs don’t have much, but they have each other. Their mum wins a free subscription to Burrell’s Build-It-At-Home Encyclopedia and Fridays become the highlight of the week when each new volume arrives. The encyclopedia transports Lenny and Davey to places beyond the walls of their tiny apartment and brings knowledge and the wonder of the world into their lives.
The B volume fuels Lenny’s fascination for beetles and her dream to become a coleopterist and the bird section introduces Davey to golden eagles. He even invents his own imaginary eagle called Timothy who sits on his shoulder and he feeds him imaginary crumbs. When the C volume arrives they discover Canada. Lenny as ‘chief imagineer’ imagines them travelling to Bear Lake. Planning their adventurous trip there and the log cabin Davey wants to build, carries them through the ups and downs of Davey’s health until the day Lenny and Davey squeeze goodbye in Morse Code.
Karen Brownlee exquisitely weaves the story and its characters together using the volumes of Burrell’s Build-It-At-Home Encyclopedia with Lenny as the narrator. As you read, think about how Karen's words make you feel, how she describes her characters or the images she creates in you mind with her carefully chosen words.
If you have read Wonder by R.J. Palacio or Ugly by Robert Hoge you might also like Lenny's Book of Everything. Auggie, Robert and Davey's stories give us an opportunity to walk in their shoes and help us to understand a little more some of the challenges of living with a disability.
Click HERE to read this National Geographic Kids' interview with Karen Foxlee.
Look closely at the front cover. How does the image connect to the story? Click HERE to see how the cover was created. This is a rare novel with endpapers. Why do you think they have been included?
Click HERE to read an extract of Lenny's Book of Everything.
Happy reading and a BIG TISSUE ALERT!
