I enjoyed this story about the trials and tribulations of growing up "not-so-perfect" in a "not-so-perfect" world. The characters were easy to bond with and their stories were memorable. I don't believe it is a book that is easy to recommend to someone unless you know they can handle a middle grade story with serious topics. It would make a great read aloud or shared reading for middle graders.

I put off reading Lenny’s Book of Everything for so long because even though I really love Karen Foxlee, I knew it was going to be sad. This is a book about a girl whose beloved little brother has a chronic health condition, and so we know that he’s going to die at the end of it. There’s no spoiler there — we know this from the first page of the book. And I didn’t want to be sad right now, but finally I had to go ahead and read it, and I’m glad I did because even though I was right — it’s really sad — it’s also a really lovely book.

Lenny’s father left home when she was just a kid, and her brother Davey won’t stop growing, which puts all the pressure for providing for the family on Lenny’s perpetually worried mom. The bright spots in Lenny’s life are the weekly encyclopedia installments she receives in the mail — the book is set in the 1970s, when encyclopedias were the ultimate in knowledge. Lenny and Davey pore over the entries together, dreaming of adventures and discoveries, even as it becomes increasingly clear that Davey’s adventuring time is limited.

What this book does really well is to walk that line that we’re always walking between sadness and hope, between love and the loss of love, between dreams and reality. There’s a real, tangible sense of impending loss, but there’s also an echoing sense of love that builds right beside the loss, as neighbors and encyclopedia company secretaries and Lenny herself find ways to make Davey’s last days happy ones. It’s so sad. But so lovely, too.

Boy, this book brings out the feelings. There are some light-hearted moments, and a lot of really intense emotional ones. While this is a middle-grade book, I feel that this may not be the best book for everyone. Some of the things that happen in the book are hard for adults to deal with, much less kids. That doesn't make it a bad book or anything of the sort, just one that is closer to real life than most middle-grade books.

I felt for Lenny while I was reading, it seemed like she couldn't catch a break anywhere. She is one of the characters that I just want to reach out and hug. She has to deal with her so much, from being abandoned by her father and her mother's new relationship, to her brother's health issues and the old lady who may not be everything she seems. She is the perfect example of trying to find your way in the world when everything seems against you. She refuses to accept that her destiny is set and does what she can to fight her way out of the mold and become the type of person she really wants to be.

Lenny is a protagonist readers can root for and empathize with. You want to see her happy in a way that makes the reader invested in the story just to make sure that this little girl is okay.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Author: Karen Foxlee
Publisher: Random House Children's and Knopf Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: 16 Apr 2019

I found this to be a wonderful book full of heart. It presents the pains of growing up, having a sibling who is "different", and being abandoned by a parent in a way that made me feel all of the emotions right along with Lenny. I can't recommend it enough.

Lenny's little brother has a who has gigantism due to cancerous tumors that can't be treated at about 8 years old he's 6"5 and growing more ill as his size causes his organs to begin failing. as sweet and hopeful as the story was, I found tears running down my cheeks as I got closer got the end of the story.; just so sad... Kids 5th grade up.

Reading this felt a little like death tourism. There's no real point to the plot other than the death. It's two years in this family's life as they discover and deal with what ends up becoming a terminal diagnosis. There are some moments of self-discovery for Lenny, but that come as the expense of her brother's suffering.

This novel is both happy and sad. Lenny's mom has a dark feeling as soon as Davey is born and she's not wrong. By the time Davey is six he's almost five feet tall and he's not done growing! This book is about love and family and the hardships of living differently. It's a great story for anyone of any age and I highly recommend it.

Lenny's mom has always known something wasn't right and when her brother just starts growing and growing her fears are confirmed. But Lenny and Davey have a really special relationship that centers around their fascination with the build it yourself encyclopedia that they won. Lenny becomes fascinated with beetles, Davey wants to run away to Alaska and loved birds like falcons. As Davey's issues progress - tumors, surgery, radiation, blindness, and the stress that the giantism puts on his body - the family grows closer together and discovers the community willing to help.
So darn sad... some of it was really cool, but so sad.

Good brother and sister relationship. I liked the setting and the ties to hallmarks of that time period like the encyclopedias.

Lenny Spink and her brother Davey live in a small apartment with their hardworking mother, Cynthia. Their father left them when Davey was only five. You would think that would be hard enough on the family, but then Davey starts to grow at an alarming rate. Lenny's mother knew something wasn't right when Davey was born, and her intuition was correct. There is something wrong. Little boys are not supposed to be so big and it's straining the family's budget to keep him in clothes and shoes that fit. Throughout the book, Lenny and Davey share a fascination for learning about new places and things as they look forward to each new installment of the encyclopedia set that they won in a contest. They make plans to travel and see new sights, but will their dreams ever come true or will Davey's mysterious ailment derail their carefully laid plans?

I fell in love with Lenny and Davey and my heart went out to them through all of their challenges and triumphs. Foxlee's writing draws you in and makes you feel like you're watching the story unfold before your eyes on a movie screen. I know this sad, but uplifting tale is a story that will have a special place in my heart.

My thanks to publisher Allen & Unwin via NetGalley for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I tried and tried and could not get into this book. Strange. I don't know how else to describe it. I really tried, but I simply could not get into it.

While not my particular brand of tea (too sad), it is a well told tale. Bring your kleenex for the last few chapters.

I was really looking forward to reading this one-I've really enjoyed Karen Foxlee's other work but this one left me confused. I didn't connect with the characters. I found the problems in the story oddly disconnected and I felt the ending was abrupt. It was not my favorite.

Melancholy, but never overdone, this beautiful book is perfectly written. It’s told from Lenny’s point of view as she and her brother Davey turn to an encyclopedia set to help them navigate the things they don’t understand and can’t control. This book is a thoughtful commentary on dealing with grief.

I can tell that this will be considered a classic in its type- keeping company with A Monster Calls and Bridge to Terabithia. It’s heartbreaking and beautiful at the same time. This book will stay with me and I wouldn’t be surprised to see it made into a movie a few years down the line.

I love that it’s written for children because so often we try to protect kids from the big things, not realizing that these things affect them too. The language is simple, but never condescending. It doesn’t hold back, but it also doesn’t attempt to oversell, if that makes sense. I tell you what, though: plan on getting a mysterious case of teary eye toward the end!

When Lenny's little brother Davey is born in 1969, her mom knows that something is wrong, but it takes several years for them to figure out what. At five, Davey starts growing-- and doesn't stop. While Lenny's mother worries about finding money for doctors' visits and the clothes Davey is constantly outgrowing, Lenny and her brother try to remember their absent father, struggle with difficult classmates, and daydream their way through the build-your-own encyclopedia set that comes in the mail. This is a richly characterized story with a fully realized 1970s setting. I found myself caring deeply not only about Lenny and her brother but also about all the adults they encounter as well. I do worry, however, about this book finding its audience: to me, it read like an adult book with a child narrator. Nothing in the book is inappropriate for the older middle-grade age range (a few more adult situations are implied, but in such a way that I doubt any children will see that subtext), but the narrative style expects a lot of its readers. The story moves, but not particularly quickly, and between the pacing and the historical setting I think most young readers would not pick it up without adult encouragement. For the right reader, though, one who wants a heart-rending family story and doesn't mind a few (okay, many) tears, this book will be extremely rewarding.

I got the summary of this book mixed up with another one I'm reading and thought this was going to be about a magical adventure. And it was magical, in a way.

Lenny's little brother Davey has gigantism and is amazingly tall for a seven year old. Their father ran off years ago, and now it's just them and their mother, and the Hungarian woman next door. And the free mail-order encyclopedia set they won. Through the book, we follow their lives over the course of a couple of years until... well...

This is the kind of story that unfolds slowly over you, wrapping you up in tender words and surprising depth until it pulls hard on your emotions. It drags you deeper and deeper into its pages, with characters who feel wonderfully real and complex. It shows an honest, touching relationship between siblings who have their ups and downs but genuinely love one another and bond over weird childhood daydreams. And you can't let go, even when you know where the story is going and you know it's inevitable, and you get there...

And then you're sobbing on the floor so hard your cat jumps on top of you to see what's wrong.

A tender and heartfelt story for young readers, and there is much to love here for adults as well. The characters felt very real to me and the story is unique. If sharing this with a child reader, be sure to help the. Process the sadness of the loss after they are done readingtje book.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

A sweet book about a young girl and her younger brother who keeps getting bigger. It is sad, but sweet. Lenny is a great character as she navigates her brother's uniqueness, her absent father and her desire for normalcy.

Foxlee's story was a bit hard to get into but once I did it became harder and harder to read - you knew the ending was not going to be a happy one. Lenny and her brother, Davey, are close knit siblings about three years apart in age. As soon as Davey was born, their mother knew something was wrong with him, but didn't know what. He was "big" for his age and his mother silently ignored the problem that smiled at her every morning. Perhaps she hoped that if she never brought it up, she would never have to risk losing him, but life doesn't work that way. Foxlee's story presents life and death through the eyes of the children and tests one's grip on their own mortality. I would recommend this book for readers who perhaps have someone they can talk about it afterward. Younger readers may become quite attached to Lenny and Davey.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Children's Books for the opportunity to read an advance reader copy.

Poignant ~ Beautiful ~ Affecting

tl: dr: Everything can be as big or as small as you make it, or sometimes the size is completely out of your hands.

In this story, Lenny shares the challenges of living with a single mom and a brother who has a rare condition in which he can't stop growing. This book, though, is one of those lovely sad/happy books where the central challenge is presented as a matter of course. Her brother is growing beyond the space of their house. The father has left. And, they will work to deal with their normal, no matter how it changes. Foxless was a new voice to me. I was glad to find her. For an adult the book is quick, engrossing read. There will be tears. For a younger middle-grade reader, I might encourage pacing yourself. This book is emotionally raw, particularly, for any sibling who deals with watching their brother or sister go through challenges. I really loved this book. Even remember the story now, typing this, I get the feels.

Thanks to Random House Children's and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.