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One-In-A-Million Boy
"Readers won't be able to resist . . . The conclusion will leave them smiling through their tears." Shelf Awareness
"Wood's exquisitely crafted prose radiates warmth, perception, and insight . . . Heartwarming, funny, and uplifting." Guardian
The story of your life never starts at the beginning. Don't they teach you anything at school? So says 104-year-old Ona to the 11-year-old boy who's been sent to help her out every Saturday morning. As he refills the bird feeders and tidies the garden shed, Ona tells him about her long life, from first love to second chances. Soon she's confessing secrets she has kept hidden for decades.One Saturday, he doesn't show up. Ona starts to think he's not so special after all, but then his father Quinn arrives on her doorstep, determined to finish his son's good deed. The boy's mother is not so far behind. Ona is set to discover that even at her age the world can surprise you, and that sometimes sharing a loss is the only way to find yourself again."
"Wood's exquisitely crafted prose radiates warmth, perception, and insight . . . Heartwarming, funny, and uplifting." Guardian
The story of your life never starts at the beginning. Don't they teach you anything at school? So says 104-year-old Ona to the 11-year-old boy who's been sent to help her out every Saturday morning. As he refills the bird feeders and tidies the garden shed, Ona tells him about her long life, from first love to second chances. Soon she's confessing secrets she has kept hidden for decades.One Saturday, he doesn't show up. Ona starts to think he's not so special after all, but then his father Quinn arrives on her doorstep, determined to finish his son's good deed. The boy's mother is not so far behind. Ona is set to discover that even at her age the world can surprise you, and that sometimes sharing a loss is the only way to find yourself again."
Book Details
- Publisher: Turtleback Books
- Publish Date: Apr 18th, 2017
- Pages: 336
- Language: English
- Edition: Library - undefined
- Dimensions: 7.80in - 5.10in - 1.10in - 0.75lb
- EAN: 9780606400138
- Categories: • Literary• Family Life - General
Praise for this book
Wood (Any Bitter Thing, 2005) tells a simultaneously sad and joyous story of a unique eleven-year-old boy and the legacy he leaves behind. Known only as the boy, he has no friends, and spends his time obsessively compiling mental lists and memorizing countless Guinness world records. As part of his work to earn a Boy Scout badge, the boy does yard work for 104-year-old Ona Vitkus, a Lithuanian immigrant living nearby. They forge a close bond over the course of seven Saturdays, then the boy dies. His mostly absent musician father, Quinn, volunteers to finish the last three of the boy s weekends. Quinn becomes aware of his son s and Ona s plan to get her into a Guinness records book hopefully, as the oldest licensed driver and this leads first to a road trip to find Ona s only living son, now ninety, and eventually to a visit to her homeland at age 109. Wood s portrait of a fractured, grieving family is peopled by endearing characters and should appeal to readers who enjoy the family-centered novels of Jodi Picoult and Kristin Hannah. Booklist
In The One-in-a-Million Boy, Monica Wood tells a magical, beautifully written story about the healing power of friendship, music, and unexpected, generation-spanning connections. As emotionally resonant as The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, this novel hums with energy, warmth, wisdom, humor, and soul. Christina Baker Kline, author ofOrphan Train"
In The One-in-a-Million Boy, Monica Wood tells a magical, beautifully written story about the healing power of friendship, music, and unexpected, generation-spanning connections. As emotionally resonant as The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, this novel hums with energy, warmth, wisdom, humor, and soul. Christina Baker Kline, author ofOrphan Train"