Lenny’s Book of Everything

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. Agent: Catherine Drayton, InkWell Management. (Apr.)