Jake is a part of an extraordinary family.He has a life filled with art, music, and long summer nights on the Cape. He has hours and days and months of baseball. But, more than anything in this world, Jake knows he has Edward. From the moment he was born, Jake knew Edward was destined for something. Edward could make anyone laugh and everyone think. During one special year, he became the only one in the neighborhood who could throw a perfect knuckleball. It was a pitch you could not hit. That same year, Jake learned there are also some things you cannot hold.Patricia MacLachlan, one of the most beloved children's book authors writing today, has painted a deeply stirring, delicately lyrical portrait of a child, a son, a family, and a brother. Through Edward's eyes, we see what gifts all of these things truly are to those around them, and how those gifts live on and grow. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

Ventimiglia's soft voice and smooth delivery capture all the notes of fun, sadness and eventually, emergent hope that fill MacLachlan's novel about the powerful bonds of a family's love. Through the flashback memories of Jake, listeners meet Jake's younger brother, the strikingly blue-eyed Edward, a standout in their ever-expanding family for his baseball pitching prowess, his good humor and his ability to "see" signs that other people often miss. Listeners will discern early on that something must have happened to Edward, as Jake's reverent narration-which sometimes sounds wise beyond his years-creates a portrait of a boy who seems to be somewhere else. As the story unfurls, listeners learn Edward's heartbreaking fate and how his family copes. Having tissues on hand for some of the latter chapters may be a good idea, though the tale closes on an uplifting note. Ages 8-up. (Aug.) Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

Gr 4-6-When three-year-old Jake, the fourth child in an extraordinary family, is presented with his new brother, he is mesmerized by the baby's gaze and overwhelmed with awe and love. Their special bond grows, and it becomes clear that Edward is an unusual, insightful child who sometimes senses things before they happen. When Edward is eight, their parents announce there will be another baby, and he knows that it will be a girl. They will call her Sabine, and he will sing "O Canada" to her and read her Goodnight Moon in French. Edward loves to play baseball and organizes games on the family's seaside lawn where he practices knuckleball pitches with the guidance of a 68-year-old neighbor and his 90-year-old father, a veteran of the Negro League. Jake's spare narration describes an idyll of family life in which parents dance around the house, children are free to explore their surroundings, and books are central. Tragedy is gently foreshadowed, and Edward's death in a biking accident shatters them all, but perhaps no one more than Jake, who lashes out at his parents' decision to donate Edward's organs and corneas. When he meets the cornea recipient, a young ballplayer, Jake can finally begin to accept that Edward does indeed live on. MacLachlan's simple, moving prose includes light touches of humor and weaves a spell that draws readers into an intimate family circle in which hope prevails and deep love promises to mitigate loss. A gem.-Marie Orlando, Suffolk Cooperative Library System Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

As always, MacLachlan's simple words speak of big things. This time they talk about the death of a beloved sibling. Was is a word so small and so big as Jake, 11, remembers his younger brother from the day eight years ago when their mother brought baby Edward home from the hospital and put him in Jake's lap. Jake reads to Edward, teaches him how to use the bathroom, and in their daily summer baseball games in the yard, Edward learns to throw a perfect knuckleball that no one can hit. Edward can see the speeding ball with his wonderful eyes, and at eight, when he dies, he has never once struck out. The memories are very idyllic; there's not a trace of jealousy or anger or argument among the parents, sisters and brothers, friends, or neighbors in the small town. But the surprise at the end of the story will take readers back to the beginning, and the beautiful words will make rereading a joy.--Rochman, Hazel Copyright 2007 Booklist From: Syndetics Solutions, Inc. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.