I had read about half of this book before I realized I had read it before! When I checked, sure enough, I had read it in 2020. Still, it's so good, I just finished it. 5 stars again! ( )

4.5 enthusiastic stars

I'm stunned this book isn't receiving more buzz, as it is one of the better books I've read this year.

"The One in a Million Boy" is about a socially-awkward 11 year old boy who is obsessed with The Guinness Book of World Records (known to readers only as "the boy") and a 104 year old woman named Ona Vitkus whom the boy interviews for a school project. Of course, to say that the book is only about Ona, the boy, and the school project, would be like saying that [b:The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry|13227454|The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry|Rachel Joyce|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1335816092s/13227454.jpg|18156927] is about a man who went out for a walk. "The One in a Million Boy" is filled with love and humanity without at all being saccharine.

I'm not saying anymore, because for me part of the joy was discovering the beauty of this book without any preconceived notions. In fact, DO NOT read the Amazon description, and be very wary of reading other reviews, unless they are from trusted reviewers who do not give spoilers (you may even want to skip the GoodReads blurb).

If you liked [b:The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry|13227454|The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry|Rachel Joyce|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1335816092s/13227454.jpg|18156927], [b:The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy|20890479|The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy|Rachel Joyce|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1403202599s/20890479.jpg|39861474], or even [b:Me Before You|15507958|Me Before You (Me Before You, #1)|Jojo Moyes|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1357108762s/15507958.jpg|17763198] my prediction is that you'll enjoy this. ( )

Boy Scout is assigned to help an elderly woman each Saturday for 3 months. They develop a unique friendship, with her telling him her life and giving him guidance in his. The boy comes up with her being in the Guiness Book of world records. Hilarious what they come up with to enter her for - oldest living woman, oldest driver (and he's teaching her to get her license back). But when the boy dies suddenly, the father takes over bringing a lot of joy to both of them. ( )

I cannot overstate the tenderness of this novel. A story of unusual friendships, world records, loss, and deep, deep bonding, The One-in-a-Million Boy will break your heart over and over again. But then it'll put you back together, and it'll all be worth it. ( )

Oh. Oh, how I loved this book. It captured my imagination immediately, and it didn’t let go - not even for a moment - the entire time I was reading it. The writing is lyrical, poetic, and breathtaking. The plot heartbreaking, uplifting, and hopeful. The characters genuine, likeable, and so very, very human. I haven’t read a book like this in ages. I wanted to live inside the world Wood created. I wanted to be friends with Ona, and Quinn, and Belle. And most of all, I wanted to know the boy the way they knew him, because I’m sure my life, too, would be enriched by his presence. The One-In-A-Million Boy takes an honest, sweet, and lovely look at the challenges of loving someone with a developmental disability - while never naming the boy’s disability, or the boy himself. An absolute triumph of a novel. I can’t wait to read more of Wood’s work. ( )