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'“I knew my brother. I knew when he talked too much about Timothy his imaginary pet eagle. He was scared. 'Whatever you do,' I said to Davey on the walk to school, 'Do not tell people about your eagle. Do not tell Miss Schweitzer about your eagle.' He looked crestfallen. His shoulders slumped. He looked to make sure Timothy hadn't fallen off.”
'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 single mother, who works two jobs and is made almost entirely out of worries, 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 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, visiting places like Saskatchewan and Yellowknife, and the gleaming lakes of the Northwest Territories. But as her brother's health deteriorates, Lenny comes to accept the inevitable truth; Davey will never make it to Great Bear Lake. An outstanding novel about heartbreak and healing by an award-winning author.'
Source: Publisher's blurb.
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Other Formats
- Dyslexic edition.
- Large print.
- Sound recording.
Works about this Work
-
An Endearingly Told Tale of Love and Tender Connections
2019
single work
review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 2 February 2019; (p. 21)
— Review of Lenny's Book of Everything 2018 single work children's fiction'From the first few lines there’s a poetic sensibility in Karen Foxlee’s new novel. Pre-adolescent Lenny (Lenore) describes her mother, Cynthia Spink, as having a “dark heart feeling”.' (Introduction)
-
Karen Foxlee
Allison Paterson
(interviewer),
2019
single work
interview
— Appears in: Magpies : Talking About Books for Children , March vol. 34 no. 1 2019; (p. 6) -
Growing Pains
Karys McEwen
(interviewer),
2018
single work
interview
— Appears in: Books + Publishing , August vol. 98 no. 1 2018; (p. 18)"Karen Foxlee's new middle-grade novel, Lenny's Book of Everything is a 'bittersweet tale about heartbreak and healing' with 'a sense of whimsy that never feels forced.' Reviewer Karys McEwan spoke to the author." (Introduction)
-
An Endearingly Told Tale of Love and Tender Connections
2019
single work
review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 2 February 2019; (p. 21)
— Review of Lenny's Book of Everything 2018 single work children's fiction'From the first few lines there’s a poetic sensibility in Karen Foxlee’s new novel. Pre-adolescent Lenny (Lenore) describes her mother, Cynthia Spink, as having a “dark heart feeling”.' (Introduction)
-
Growing Pains
Karys McEwen
(interviewer),
2018
single work
interview
— Appears in: Books + Publishing , August vol. 98 no. 1 2018; (p. 18)"Karen Foxlee's new middle-grade novel, Lenny's Book of Everything is a 'bittersweet tale about heartbreak and healing' with 'a sense of whimsy that never feels forced.' Reviewer Karys McEwan spoke to the author." (Introduction)
-
Karen Foxlee
Allison Paterson
(interviewer),
2019
single work
interview
— Appears in: Magpies : Talking About Books for Children , March vol. 34 no. 1 2019; (p. 6)
Awards
- 2020 shortlisted REAL Awards — Fiction for Years 7-9
- 2020 winner New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards — Ethel Turner Prize for Young People's Literature
- 2020 nominated Yoto Carnegies Library Association Awards (UK) CILIP (Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals) Awards — Yoto Carnegie Medal for Writing
- 2019 winner Queensland Literary Awards — Griffith University Young Adult Book Award
- 2019 shortlisted Prime Minister's Literary Awards — Young Adults' Fiction