
Twelve-year-old Ava finds an old pencil in her family's junk drawer and discovers, during a math test, that it will answer factual questions, so she and her best friend Sophie have a great time--and Ava grows in self-confidence--until the pencil reveals a truth about her family that Ava would rather not know.
Publisher:
New York : Bloomsbury, 2015.
ISBN:
9781619633742
1619633744
1619633744
Characteristics:
248 pages ; 22 cm
Study Program:
Accelerated Reader AR MG 4.6 8.0 172482.


Comment
Add a CommentWith any other main character, this would have just been a light-hearted story about a girl who finds a magic, question-answering pencil and the hilarity that ensues. However, because Ava has such severe anxiety problems, we get drawn into the question of whether the pencil is calming or feeding that anxiety.
The themes only continue to mature as the book goes on, with Ava having to come to terms with her own weaknesses in order to confront some very heavy problems, discovering more and more about her grandfather's life and exploring themes of love, loss, and forgiveness. The dramatic moments, though, are offset with the humor and warmth of Ava's family (who are so well-characterized that I feel like I know them in real life), leading to a very satisfying read.
Great light hearted book!
It may seem cheesy at first, but the end is really great. I wont spoil it, but the pencil is more special than u think
great book! it is about a girl named Ava who finds a magic pencil. the pencil can answer question for her such as the correct answers on her math quiz or what boy likes her best friend. But the pencil also can tell her things she may not want to know. I enjoyed this I thought it was just going to be a whimsical little book about magic but it gets in some important family issues.