Author: Jamie Sumner
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Date Published: August 2025
Pages: 224
Grade Level: 5 and 6
ISBN: 978-1534486058
Lenny and his dad have recently moved to a university where his dad will teach Latin. They live on campus and Lenny will start 6th grade at college. Well, he and four other faculty kids will be going to school there and will be taught by a few of the parents. They will be participating in a different kind of school. These five kids will attend (audit) self-chosen college classes, learn meditation, use the university library, and work together and independently on individual projects that will culminate at the end of the year. There is very little supervision. (As a teacher and a parent, I have a difficult time with this and the fact that they aren't being taught math, science, etc. However, since this is a fictional story, I am willing to let it go.)
Lenny has a difficult time at first. His mom died and he misses her terribly. His dad also missed her terribly but has put all of her personal items into storage hoping it will help them deal with the loss. They live more like roommates, rather than father and son.
The five kids slowly get to know each other and eventually become friends and then a team. They become close friends and work together well.
This story is mostly about Lenny and how he begins to deal with the death of his mother. There is one section where Lenny is asleep and dreaming when he dreams his mother is sitting on his bed. He has a conversation with her which helps him and helps him better understand his father. It is not a ghostly interaction, but a dream. He wakes his father up and tells him he dreamed about his mom.
I enjoyed this book, and I think it would be a good fit in your library.
Reviewed by Audrey Campbell, MED
Reading Specialist and Library Media Center Director
Valley Adventist Schools, Rogers Campus
