Status
Available
Publication
Nancy Paulsen Books (2017), Edition: Reprint, 320 pages
Library's review
Hunt draws a portrait of dyslexia and getting along.
Ally Nickerson, who’s passed through seven schools in seven years, maintains a Sketchbook of Impossible Things. A snowman in a furnace factory is more plausible than imagining herself doing something right—like reading. She doesn't know why,
Fans of R.J. Palacio's Wonder (2012) will appreciate this feel-good story of friendship and unconventional smarts. (Fiction. 10-12)
-Kirkus Review
Ally Nickerson, who’s passed through seven schools in seven years, maintains a Sketchbook of Impossible Things. A snowman in a furnace factory is more plausible than imagining herself doing something right—like reading. She doesn't know why,
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but letters dance and give her headaches. Her acting out to disguise her difficulty causes headaches for her teachers, who, oddly, never consider dyslexia, even though each notices signs like inconsistent spellings of the same word. Ally's confusion is poignant when misunderstandings like an unintentional sympathy card for a pregnant teacher make her good intentions backfire, and readers will sympathize as she copes with the class "mean girls." When a creative new teacher, Mr. Daniels, steps in, the plot turns more uplifting but also metaphor-heavy; a coin with a valuable flaw, cupcakes with hidden letters, mystery boxes and references to the Island of Misfit Toys somewhat belabor the messages that things aren't always what they seem and everyone is smart in their own ways. Despite emphasis on "thinking outside the box," characters are occasionally stereotypical—a snob, a brainiac, an unorthodox teacher—but Ally's new friendships are satisfying, as are the recognition of her dyslexia and her renewed determination to read.Fans of R.J. Palacio's Wonder (2012) will appreciate this feel-good story of friendship and unconventional smarts. (Fiction. 10-12)
-Kirkus Review
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Awards
Nebraska Golden Sower Award (Nominee — 2017)
Wyoming Indian Paintbrush Award (Nominee — 2021)
Young Hoosier Book Award (Nominee — Middle Grade — 2018)
Massachusetts Children's Book Award (Honor — 2018)
Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award (Nominee — 2017)
Triple Crown Awards (Nominee — 2018)
Georgia Children's Book Award (Finalist — Grades 4-8 — 2017)
Great Stone Face Book Award (Nominee — 2016)
Utah Beehive Book Award (Nominee — Children's Fiction — 2017)
Kentucky Bluegrass Award (Nominee — Grades 3-5 — 2017)
Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award (Nominee — Grades 6-8 — 2017)
Sasquatch Book Award (Nominee — 2018)
Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award (Nominee — 2018)
Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award (Nominee — Grades 6-8 — 2016)
William Allen White Children's Book Award (Nominee — Grades 3-5 — 2018)
Nutmeg Book Award (Nominee — Intermediate — 2018)
Great Lakes Great Books Award (Winner — 2017)
Bluestem Award (Nominee — 2019)
Mark Twain Readers Award (Nominee — 2018)
Sunshine State Young Reader's Award (Nominee — Grades 3-5 — 2017)
Oregon Reader's Choice Award (Nominee — 2018)
California Young Reader Medal (Nominee — 2019)
Iowa Children's Choice Award (Nominee — 2017)
SCBWI Crystal Kite Award (2016)
North Carolina Children's Book Award (Nominee — 2017)
Heartland Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature (Recommendations — 2018)
NCSLMA Battle of the Books (Elementary — 2020)
Golden Archer Award (Nominee — 2016)
Black-Eyed Susan Book Award (Nominee — Grades 4-6 — 2017)
Colorado Children's Book Award (Nominee — 2016)
Volunteer State Book Award (Nominee — Intermediate — 2018)
Maud Hart Lovelace Award (Nominee — 2019)
Lectio Book Award (Nominee — 2017)
Schneider Family Book Award (Winner — Middle Grades — 2016)
Read Aloud Indiana Book Award (Middle Grades — 2018)
Notable Children's Book (Middle Readers — 2017)
Nerdy Book Award (Middle Grade Fiction — 2015)
Teacher Favorites Award (2016)
Tome Society It List (2017)
Great Texas Mosquito List (2017)
Reading Olympics (Middle School — 2024)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2015
ISBN
0142426423 / 9780142426425