SEED

Coping with his unwell mother, English boy Marty starts believing in dreams when he receives a special seed.

Before leaving when Marty was 4, his dad gave him a pocket-sized model of the Eiffel Tower. Since then, Marty has longed to visit Paris, but life with his mother, a compulsive, reclusive hoarder, causes him to repress his dreams. To escape the mountains of stuff at home, Marty visits his eccentric, optimistic grandfather at his garden plot. One day, Grandad gifts Marty a mysterious striped seed, promising him that seeds contain magic. While planting it, Marty feels an electric shock run through his hand and arm. The seed sprouts quickly and, thanks to Grandad’s special seaweed fertilizer, grows into what Grandad excitedly claims will be the world’s largest pumpkin—which he plans to scoop out, equip with an outboard motor, and use to travel to France. Marty begins to believe in Grandad’s enthusiastic, improbable plans as the magically massive pumpkin swells. Marty’s credibly realistic and daunting issues at home, school, and with his new friend, Gracie, contrast vividly with Grandad’s hilarious efforts to nurture the pumpkin and enable his grandson’s dreams. Their attention-getting, over-the-top adventures as they try to cross the English Channel in a pumpkin prove nail-biting and heartwarming. Gracie is deaf and aspires to be a dancer; she lip-reads and has a cochlear implant. Main characters default to White.

An amusing, delightful celebration of the transformative power of positive thinking and following your bliss.