The Absolute Value of Mike, (Paperback)

from tibobi

The Short of It: Laugh-out-loud funny. The Rest of It: When his father takes a teaching job in Romania for the summer, fourteen-year-old Mike is sent to a town he affectionately calls, "Do Over" so he can stay with his grand-aunt and uncle known only as Moo and Poppy. Moo and Poppy have their own...

from lilibrarian

Mike's father has to go away for the summer. So he ships Mike off to stay with his great aunt and uncle, Moo and Poppy, who have recently lost their son. Mike finds himself taking care of Moo and Poppy, and helping the town in its efforts to raise money to adopt an orphan from Romania.

from CarrieWuj

Math metaphors! Who knew? Kid book -- perfect for 5th/6th grade, despite YA classification due to some language and teen angst and a few adult themes, but overall sweet and fresh and creative. Mike is an 8th grader with a mathematical disability (dyscalculia -- another thing I learned!) but his f...

from KimJD

Thought-provoking and thoroughly enjoyable. Much different in style than Mockingbird, the quirky characters were reminiscent of those you'd find in a Polly Horvath or Wendy Mass novel. Kathy Erskine blends humor and poignancy with ease.

from KarenBall

Mike's father James is an engineering professor and mathematical genius, who will be spending the summer teaching in Romania. But he can't bring Mike, so he sends him off to rural Pennsylvania to stay with great-aunt Moo and great-uncle Poppy for six weeks. Poppy is supposed to be working on buil...