I can’t seem to recall another story in which I was treated to a single word over and over again but in this case I was happy to live in an extraordinary story for a little while. Harvey and the Extraordinary by Eliza Martin and illustrated by Anna Bron is a surprising story of loss and the ways in which we process grief.

Mimi is extraordinary, so much so that she can’t be at regular school because extraordinary people are too extraordinary for regular school so she learns at home with her grandmother. She is also working on a secret project to learn more about her father whom she is convinced is working in the circus. 

Right from the beginning, readers get the sense that something is amiss. Mimi is learning at Grandma’s house while her older brother is at school. Plus there is the secret project she is working on about her father. Reader’s radar will be on high alert, knowing something has happened before the story began that is affecting Mimi’s life. Harvey and the Extraordinary was a book that was difficult to put down as Eliza Martin slowly lets readers in on Mimi’s secret and her grief.

I loved that this was a story about loss that was treated so differently than other stories I have read on the same topic. Mimi creates a story she tells herself, a specific narrative, so she doesn’t have to feel all of the bad feelings in her heart and her head. When she receives a hamster for her birthday, she names it Harvey after her father and readers are left wondering what happened to her dad? 

I loved the friendship between Mimi and Patricia, a true friendship, that can survive even two months of anger and sadness. Patricia’s perseverance and her compassion for Mimi show readers what it’s like to love someone so fiercely. I also love the friendship between Harvey and Mimi. A fur friend can make a wonderful companion and a gentle ear to talk to when talking to human friends feels really hard.

Anna Bron’s illustrations are spectacular and extraordinary! Moving the story along and providing readers concrete glimpses into Mimi’s world and making it a story accessible to younger middle grade readers.