The One-in-a-Million Boy

This book is skillfully written to portray touching relationships amongst friends and family of all ages. It presents a hopeful picture of extreme old age and a touching description of a young boy with autism. It is a special book.

What a marvelous book! A sweet main character in the young boy and the 104 yr. old lady that he befriended! Then his parents relationship which you hope will work out! I loved every page and continue to be amazed at how authors come up with new subject to write about!!

I really enjoyed this book. It is a quiet read - not much action, suspense or overwhelming emotion. It deals with the growth of a father after the death of his son, a son he never connected with while he was alive. He does it with the begrudging help of a 104 year old woman the boy was helping. I think it will stay with me for quite a while.

I downloaded this book from Bookbub, and early on, wasn't sure I would even finish it, but the more I read, the more I liked it. It was a a tender, touching book, with a unique and interesting premise.

I completely enjoyed this book. It's an amazing story of how one child can bring together the most world-weary, spent people and show them that joy and kindness are still present in the most surprising ways.

this book is different from most novels that I have read. I kept forgetting that it was, in fact, a novel. the characters were very real and it broke my heart when the boy died. but the happy ending was that he did love his dad and his dad loved him. if he had been real, then he would have be very happy to know that his dad was taking care of his new friend - the 104 year old, friend.

I loved this book. I really cared about the characters, who were vibrant and interesting. Book had some thought provoking ideas on the complications of family relationships, especially how parents struggle with a child who does not fit the "norm." I'm recommending it to my book club.

Wood created memorable characters that have stuck with me weeks after finishing the story. There's humor and sadness. I've shared this book with two family members already and they both loved it. This is a moving story about the importance of human connection.

A couple and an old woman grapple with the sudden death of an unusual child. Well told and written with very interesting and believable characters. Touches the depth of their feelings without going sentimental, inserts humor without being callous. Tragedy can be beautiful, and here it is.

A newly dead odd little boy’s assignment to chronicle the past of an 104 year old Lithuanian lady, unravels the lives of his heart-broken mother and his less than loving and often absent father. Well written and gently satisfying.

I was looking for something different and I found it with this book. A lovely journey, Ms. Wood has written that delights and tugs the heart strings. A little boy dies at the beginning but shows us what real relationships and growth can happen after we grow up. I would love to see this as an indie film!

I would recommend this book to lovers of all genres, as it has something for everyone: well-drawn characters with depth, a bit of history, a novel mode of narrative and a simply compelling story. Excellent!

Quirky, perfectly imperfect characters populate this beautifully crafted novel from one of my favorite writers. Poignant without being sentimental, it tells the small story of one Boy Scout, one old lady, and one inept father. But more than that, The One-in-a-Million Boy tells the big story of our humanity, how grief changes us, and how we help each other to heal.

This book was written in an unusual style with the background of the protagonist presented through short excerpts from taped interviews.that are interspersed with the current story line. It is very engaging and connects the reader with all of the characters and its unusual ongoing plot.

Sweet read. Monica Wood has a gift for writing. The characters sparkled and were unique. I highly recommend if you want a feel good read even though almost all the action results from a death in the first few pages. If you liked this book, I recommend The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend by Katarina Bivald. Similar tone and the action is also due to a death that occurs just before the story starts. Both are uplifting with interesting endearing characters.

Very well done! Good character growth and development; use of flashbacks, lists, and transcripts of recorded interviews all deftly woven to tell the story. Beautiful and affirming without being maudlin.

My granddaughter recommended this book to me. Thanks, Ashley! What a beautifully written story. Runs the gamut of all your emotions. Highly recommend to everyone who likes originality and sweet stories.

The evolution and devolution of relationships is deftly explored in this beautifully crafted story. Characters are well-developed, both external and internal conflict and resolution are credible. Can't wait to read more of this author's work.

Meet the marvelous Miss Ona Vitkus, my new favorite character. This wonderful, heartwarming book enchanted me with its characters and its prose. I had to stop reading just to read sentences out loud because they were so lovely. It was definitely a "I don't want it to end" kind of book. Perfect for a Book Club selection.

I enjoyed reading this book a little each morning over breakfast. The story kept me coming back each day to its finish. The progression of the characters lives unwrap in such a way that you can't help but want to know, "what else?" Yet, it isn't so slow that you get bored. Loved it!

I so enjoyed this story, start to finish. The author does a masterful job of showing us each character's personality and weaving each person's story into the others around them. Monica's writing draws you in to each character's struggle and you truly fall in love with the people you are reading about. Bravo, Monica!

It started as a good entertaining read. Having lost a child recently the end tore me up. I had to read the last chapter three times to accept where the where the author wanted to take me at the end. Although the records set at the finale were joyous to other members of my book club, I was crushed by what was instead lost and what will never be known to those left behind.

Interesting story line and some interesting characters. Character development a bit lacking, especially the boy, whom you barely got to know. A bit confusing going back and forth, past and present, and didn't read the world records after the first few.

Gorgeous writing, a unique concept, and unforgettable characters makes this one of the best books I've read in a long time. Plenty of other reviews hit the high points so for the sake of brevity, I'll just say read this book...you won't be disappointed!

Interesting story line and some interesting characters. Character development a bit lacking, especially the boy, whom you barely got to know. A bit confusing going back and forth, past and present, and didn't read the world records after the first few.

Gorgeous writing, a unique concept, and unforgettable characters makes this one of the best books I've read in a long time. Plenty of other reviews hit the high points so for the sake of brevity, I'll just say read this book...you won't be disappointed!

Overall, a sweet little book with some curious facts thrown in from the Guinness book of records and an opportunity to explore what life might be like for a 104-year-old. I'd recommend this to people that like quirky books, with unique characters and non-traditional narrative. I won't give any spoilers, but I did cry in the end (but the good kind of crying).

I started this book after church this Sunday. And I simply couldn't put it down. Filled with human interest in the characters. Lives filled with hurts, joy, love and pathos experienced by people thrown together by fate, events unseen and unknown but with dawning realizations as the book comes to a satisfying end.

I read this on my tablet and loved everything about it. Now I'm going to buy the hardback so I can reread it at my leisure. The story is unique and so is the writing style. This book is highly recommended.

An interesting and unique story about relationships,love and growth of the human spirit. The characters relate to each other in pairs and we see each of them in varied relationships and hoe these relationships grow over the under lying tragic event that brings them together.

Such a wonderful story about the evolution of lives as we navigate 'loss' and let go of our 'secrets' to be fully our authentic selves. Full of hope, the power of friendships and a belief that life is rich with infinite possibilities no mater how old or young we are.