Not a long review, just a short one to express my thoughts.

This book sounded interesting, but in the end I was mostly bored. I just couldn’t connect with Oliver (I found him strange and awkward, and yes, I know he was supposed to be all different and the likes, but for me he just felt like a boy who didn’t want to grow up and check out the world around him). The story was also pretty boring. Just Oliver going on his daily life, reading books, playing with his dolls/plushies/whatever and then magically he discovers something (which is spoiled in the blurb).

Continuing on that, I also didn’t like that the blurb already spoiled the ending (or as they put it in the book, the beginning). As the whole tennis ball thing, well it doesn’t happen until the end. :\ It would have been better had this not been known. Had the blurb said something about: “And then Oliver makes a discovery that will change his view on the world.”

The illustrations were good though, and they kept me anchored to the book when the story failed. However, just illustrations being a good thing means I can’t rate this one high.

Would I recommend this book? No, no, I wouldn’t. I am sure there are way more fun books on the topic of a child being different/strange.