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Allie Millington
Age Rec: 5th-6th Grades
Themes: Friendships, Grief, Loss, Cancer & Inanimate Objects
This book follows 12-year-old Ernest, an introverted kid navigating a hardship that doesn’t fully reveal itself until midway through the story. Chapters are told from the alternating perspectives of Ernest and Olivetti, the family typewriter. Olivetti isn’t just any typewriter; he holds the many stories told by Beatrice, the Brindle family matriarch. Ernest hopes Olivetti can help solve the mystery of where his mother disappeared to.
While trying to find Beatrice, Ernest meets Quinn. Throughout the first half of the book, aside from Beatrice missing, there are constant references to past hardships that continue to weigh heavily on Ernest. Everything starts to unfold when Ernest learns that Olivetti can communicate.
Clues lead Ernest and Quinn around town. One clue implies that Beatrice's cancer has returned. Perhaps this is why she ran away? Ernest cannot blame her, as he has been symbolically running away from the fear of her illness himself; he resists loving or relying on her too much out of fear that she may not be here one day. This theme highlights that to overcome life’s hardships, we must unite. We must move forward together, to get through hard times. While cancer is only a small focus of the story, it highlights how many families undergo some type of hardship. While this message is impactful, the element of a lifeless object having a voice is an equally, if not more, overarching theme.
Allie Millington
Age Rec: 5th-6th Grades
Themes: Friendships, Grief, Loss, Cancer & Inanimate Objects
This book follows 12-year-old Ernest, an introverted kid navigating a hardship that doesn’t fully reveal itself until midway through the story. Chapters are told from the alternating perspectives of Ernest and Olivetti, the family typewriter. Olivetti isn’t just any typewriter; he holds the many stories told by Beatrice, the Brindle family matriarch. Ernest hopes Olivetti can help solve the mystery of where his mother disappeared to.
While trying to find Beatrice, Ernest meets Quinn. Throughout the first half of the book, aside from Beatrice missing, there are constant references to past hardships that continue to weigh heavily on Ernest. Everything starts to unfold when Ernest learns that Olivetti can communicate.
Clues lead Ernest and Quinn around town. One clue implies that Beatrice's cancer has returned. Perhaps this is why she ran away? Ernest cannot blame her, as he has been symbolically running away from the fear of her illness himself; he resists loving or relying on her too much out of fear that she may not be here one day. This theme highlights that to overcome life’s hardships, we must unite. We must move forward together, to get through hard times. While cancer is only a small focus of the story, it highlights how many families undergo some type of hardship. While this message is impactful, the element of a lifeless object having a voice is an equally, if not more, overarching theme.