With 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.