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Galileo. Newton. Salk. Oppenheimer.
Science can change the world . . . but can it go too far?
Eleven-year-old Ellie has never liked change. She misses fifth grade. She misses her old best friend. She even misses her dearly departed goldfish. Then one day a strange boy shows up. He’s bossy. He’s cranky. And weirdly enough . . . he looks a lot like Ellie’s grandfather, a scientist who’s always been slightly obsessed with immortality. Could this pimply boy really be Grandpa Melvin? Has he finally found the secret to eternal youth?
With a lighthearted touch and plenty of humor, Jennifer Holm celebrates the wonder of science and explores fascinating questions about life and death, family and friendship, immortality . . . and possibility.
And don’t miss the much-anticipated sequel, The Third Mushroom!
"Warm, witty and wise"—The New York Times
"Awesomely strange and startlingly true-to-life. It makes you wonder what's possible." — Rebecca Stead, Newbery Medal-winning author of When You Reach Me
SUNSHINE STATE AWARD FINALIST!
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Creators
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Publisher
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Awards
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Release date
August 26, 2014 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9780804193832
- File size: 88191 KB
- Duration: 03:03:43
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Languages
- English
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Levels
- Lexile® Measure: 550
- Text Difficulty: 2-3
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Reviews
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Georgette Perna's deft narration enhances Holm's story of a generation gap gone haywire. How do you cope when your grandfather turns up as a teenager who becomes your babysitter and draws you into a daring B and E of his former science lab? Perna voices 12-year-old Ellie's wacky adventures with glee. Her tones contrast well with the voice of Ellie's exasperated mother, who doles out life lessons to her previously 70-year-old father, Melvin, now a teen. Even better is Perna's delivery of Melvin's mixed persona of adolescent know-it-all and senior curmudgeon. Perna's exuberant storytelling takes the edge off the author's slight didacticism about the wonders, and evils, of science. D.P.D. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine -
Starred review from May 26, 2014
Middle school doesn’t start smoothly for 11-year-old Ellie, whose best friend finds her passion (volleyball) and new teammates to eat lunch with, while Ellie flounders, uninterested in sports or her parents’ avocation, theater. A startling addition to the household helps Ellie get her groove back when Grandpa Melvin, a scientist, moves in
after engineering a cure for aging (the regenerative properties of jellyfish are involved) and transforming himself into a teenage boy. Though Melvin dresses and acts like the crotchety old man he was, he and Ellie bond over spirited discussions about Jonas Salk, Robert Oppenheimer, the possibilities of science, and the moral questions scientific advances can raise. Though the subject matter has a lot of intellectual heft, the writing has Holm’s ever-present light touch. The small cast, which refreshingly includes
divorced parents who treat each other
respectfully, is so well realized that the farfetched aspects of the plot seem almost plausible. This is top-notch middle-grade fiction with a meaty dilemma, humor, and an ending that leaves room for the possibility of a sequel. Ages 8–12. Agent: Jill Grinberg, Grinberg Literary Management.
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