GLENNIE'S GIFT

Two tweens use their psychic abilities to make the world a better place.

Wallace’s middle-grade novel opens on Glennie Crowe’s eighth birthday when she wakes up ready to meet her long-awaited Newfoundland puppy, Patsy. Canadian farm child Glennie has an affinity for animals, and although she is disappointed to learn that Patsy needs to spend another week at a neighboring farm, learning to eat solid food, she quickly adapts and celebrates the day with her family. Glennie has also decided that her birthday is the time to tell her best friend, Reggie, that she has the ability to understand the thoughts of Patsy and other animals (“I communicate perfectly with every single animal on our farm. That’s why I look at them in the eye every time I see them and say silly phrases to them”). Reggie shares a secret of his own: He has premonitions, which is why he was able to anticipate his grandmother’s recent stroke and call for help. Reggie’s uncle Bert helps the two understand their abilities and encourages them to find ways to help others with them. Gradually, the tweens establish a connection with Jimmy Wilson, an unpopular boy at school, and help his unemployed father find work. The two protagonists’ mental powers come in handy again during their summer vacation, when a ferry ride turns dangerous and when the pair and Glennie’s siblings discover human bones buried on an island. The book’s short chapters and straightforward prose style make it appropriate for readers close to Glennie’s age. Wallace’s black-and-white illustrations that appear throughout—particularly the drawings of Patsy as she quickly grows—do an excellent job of complementing the story. The plot is rather episodic, and although the closing pages summarize the tale’s events and resolve outstanding plot threads, there is little connection between, for instance, Jimmy’s redemption and the high drama of the summer vacation. Still, the novel deftly presents a contemporary setting with minimal screens or phones without drawing attention to their absence, making it likely to appeal to adults looking to minimize the presence of technology in children’s reading.

A solid, engaging tale about two friends with mental powers.