Olivetti

A heartfelt debut middle-grade novel told from the unique vantage points of a witty typewriter and an introverted boy—for fans of Wishtree and A Rover’s Story.

Being a typewriter is not as easy as it looks. Surrounded by books (notorious attention hogs) and recently replaced by a computer, Olivetti has been forgotten by the Brindle family—the humans he’s lived with for years. The Brindles are busy: Dad and Mom work constantly, three of their children put the extra in extra-curriculars, and Ernest, their shy twelve-year-old, goes off alone to read.

When Olivetti learns Mom has mysteriously gone missing, he believes he can help find her. He breaks the only rule of his ‘kind’ and types back to Ernest, who must face what he and his family have been running from, The Everything That Happened. Only by working together will they find the parts of themselves they’ve lost.

Allie Millington first wrote Olivetti on her own antique typewriter, who turned out to have an awful lot to say. She lives near Atlanta, Georgia, with her husband and their fluffy dog.

"Millington’s writing does us a great favor. Her Olivetti is neither an automaton nor a pushover — there is a painful and problematic crisis in the house he has called home and his voice drives the action with compassion. Ernest speaks with a confusion and simmering panic recognizable to anyone who was once 12, loved their mother deeply and feared for her life... The Brindles will go on confronting “Everything,” with hope, gusto and all the unity they can muster. They will set the family table for seven, with a place for Olivetti; put paper in his carriage, and wait." -- Tom Hanks in the New York Times Book Review

"★ An introverted boy and his missing mother’s cherished typewriter plumb forgotten family stories while journeying toward acceptance in this touching middle-grade mystery. Offering a Where’d You Go, Bernadette vibe, with its unspooling of a youth perspective on the adult world, this melancholic yet hopeful pick will appeal to fans of books with nonhuman protagonists and readers who enjoy emotional stories with alternating perspectives, such as A Rover’s Story and The Lost Library."--Booklist magazine, starred review

"★Debut author Millington skillfully delivers a complex storyline that deals with heavy topics. With plenty of quotable wisdom, richly textured language, and dry humor, this work reads like a classic."--Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"An ideal pick for readers looking for both honesty and hope."--Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (BCCB)

ISBN: 9781250326928
272 pages
7.4 in H | 5.5 in W | 1 in T | 0.5 lb Wt