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Allen & Unwin November 2018 / Knopf Books for Young Readers April 2019

Summary:

Our mother had a dark heart feeling. Lenny's younger brother has a rare form of gigantism and while Lenny's fiercely protective, it isn't always easy being the sister of 'the giant'. A book about finding good in the bad that will break your heart while raising your spirits in the way that only a classic novel can.

Lenny, small and sharp, has a younger brother Davey who won't stop growing - and at seven is as tall as a man. Raised by their mother, they have food and a roof over their heads, but not much else. 

The bright spot every week is the arrival of the latest issue of the Burrell's Build-It-at-Home Encyclopedia. Through the encyclopedia, Lenny and Davey experience the wonders of the world - beetles, birds, quasars, quartz - and dream about a life of freedom and adventure. But as Davey's health deteriorates, Lenny realises that some wonders can't be named.

A big-hearted novel about loving and letting go by an award-winning author. 

Awards:

Winner Ethel Turner Prize for Young Adult Literature 2020 NSW Premier’s Literary Awards

Winner Griffith University Young Adult Fiction Award 2019 Qld Literary Awards

Winner Best Children’s Book Indie Book Awards 2019

CBCA Honour Book Best Book for Older Readers Category 2019

Shortlisted Prime Minister’s Literary Award

Reviews:

'Such a big heart and not a beat out of place.'
— MELINA MARCHETTA

'Tough, tender and beautiful.'
- GLENDA MILLARD

'Unforgettable.'
- ANNA FIENBERG

'Karen Foxlee, you're a genius.'
- WENDY ORR