By Jennifer L. Holm
Amazon rating: 4.7/5.0, ages 8-12
Good Reads: 3.89/5
Common Sense Media: 4/5, age 18+
4Rbooks: 4/6, Grades 4+
Synopsis:
Ellie is 11 years old and dealing with the transition to middle school. Her best friend is leaving her behind as she tries out for the volleyball team. Her mom, a high school drama teacher, has a boyfriend that wants to marry her, but so far, her mom says she’s not ready yet. Her dad is away traveling with a theater production. Suddenly, there is even more turmoil in her life when her 70+ grandfather comes to live with them.
Only, he no longer looks 70. He has been experimenting with an anti-aging formula that has turned him into a young, teen-age boy. He starts going to middle school with Ellie, but though he looks young, he still acts, thinks, talks, and dresses like an old man. At the same time, he enlists Ellie, and their new friend Raj, in a plan to get his scientific notes out of his laboratory.
Parental Guidance: low
The term “knocked-up” is used in a reference to Ellie’s dad, with no
explanation.
There is a section about Robert Oppenheimer, nuclear weapons, and their
devastation.
The grandfather is very dismissive, and rude, to Ellie’s mom, disapproving
of her choices and career path.
There’s an expected, but awkward, scene where one of Ellie’s friends thinks
her teen-age grandfather is cute and wants to know if he has a
girlfriend.
Recommendation: Medium
This is the epitome of a silly story with lots of information and reflective questions about life and aging. At its core, it’s a funny story of a 6th grade girl dealing with middle school, her mom, and a crazy grandfather who is suddenly a teen-age boy living in their house.
But there are also many conversations between Ellie and her grandfather about science, scientists, and scientific discoveries which should be of interest to children who like science. There is also a list of resources for scientific study included in the back of the book.
The final discussions between Ellie and her grandfather are also poignant and would be a good step into family discussions about growing older and the circle of life we all are going through. Outside of the science information, this is an easy, quick read, and easily accessible to all reading levels.
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