I didn’t intend to read Olivetti by Allie Millington for Middle Grade March - it was a happy accident thanks to my Libby queue. If its stunning cover doesn’t make your bookish heart swoon, forfeit your library card now.

This charming MG novel is excellent on audio, beautifully narrated by Christopher Gebauer and Simon Vance. Mr. Vance’s very proper British accent perfectly personified Olivetti, a (sentient) manual typewriter. The plot contains all the elements I enjoy in adult novels - compelling writing, family drama, great dialog, mystery, moments of humor, and magical realism. Since I rarely read MG books, I was surprised by the serious/heavy themes. Content warning: a parent’s disappearance, cancer diagnosis.

Thank you to Feiwel & Friends for providing an egalley of this very special novel.

Such a gorgeous, voice-driven story with so much humor and heart! I absolutely loved this little typewriter that could!

The concept of a book about a sentient typewriter who helps a child solve a mystery sounds cartoonish, but Millington pulls it off with emotion and heft.

This book was okay, but it didn’t fully capture my attention like I hoped it would. The cover is stunning, and the premise seemed like it would be right up my alley. Unfortunately, the writing and characters didn’t quite draw me in.

One of the main issues for me was that the story tried to juggle too many things at once. You’ve got a sentient typewriter, Ernest’s struggles with loneliness, the family’s emotional distance, a new friendship that’s hard to trust, and a mystery to solve—all happening at once. I think focusing more on the family dynamics would have helped the story feel more cohesive and allowed for better character development. As it was, the secondary characters felt flat, with one dominant trait each, and I never really got to know them beyond that.

I’m usually a big fan of sentient objects and robots in stories, but the typewriter, Olivetti, just didn’t have enough personality to feel engaging. I kept hoping to feel some emotional connection or magic in the story, but it never quite delivered. The world-building around the sentient typewriters was underdeveloped and didn’t capture my interest.

While the story had a lot of potential, it never quite hit that special mark that makes a book memorable. I could see it working for a school library, though, with the right content warnings. This could be a great pick for students dealing with family-related anxiety or struggles, as long as they’re prepared for the heavier themes.

#ARC #netgalley

OLIVETTI is simultaneously funny and sad and engages kids-- the middle grade kind and the grown-up kind.

Well, this book was a surprise. I was initially drawn to it because of the cover and knowing it was middle grade. I did not expect such a hard, heart hitting family drama as well. This book is told in dual perspectives, one of them being the typewriter, Olivetti. We follow a family who is quite broken from the mom going missing. They are all grieving in different ways. When Ernest finds Olivetti from the pawn shop where the mom took it they form a connection and Olivetti as the "keeper of memories" breaks code and begins to communicate with Ernest to help him possibly discover where the mom went and what happened to her. In the process the family learns a lot about the mom and starts to communicate more. There are some tough scenes which would make this great for older middle grade readers. Check content warnings if that's something you need. There are quite a few possible triggers in here. I loved this story though and thought Millington did a great job drawing me in and making me care about this family. I appreciate books that show how grief affects people in different ways and this one did that even though it can be hard to read. 4 stars.

This middle grade tells the story of a boy trying to cope with changes happening to his family. When his mother disappears for a time, while the rest of the family tries to find her in their own way, 12-year old Ernest gets help in finding his mom from a sentient typewriter, Olivetti. Ernest embarks on a journey using the thoughts and feelings that Ernest's mom has poured into Olivetti throughout the years to find his mother. While the premise was whimsical enough and I enjoyed Ernest's character development, this didn't wholly land for me. Maybe it was the flatness of Olivetti itself or perhaps the flow of the story. However, I would definitely recommend this as a middle grade option for a child in my life.

That cover made me swoon. The idea of a typewriter as narrator hooked me immediately. There's a LOT going on in this book which makes it feel a bit crowded (everything but the kitchen sink type crowded), and a lot of heavy topics are included (parental abandonment, terminal illness, mental health). But that typewriter! I adored Olivetti. I loved his side of telling of the story. Upper elementary + for content. Thanks to Macmillan Children's Publishing Group and NetGalley for the ARC. I've already purchased a copy for our library and I've recommended it as a possible state award nominee!

I've been a huge fan of vintage typewriters ever since loving Divine Rivals. And yes, I own at least three typewriters, so you can imagine how excited I was to read this. And this story was so whimsical, cute, and charming. Geared toward younger readers, this is quite the cozy, easy read. Happy to recommend to anyone looking for a light read full of heart.

This book was magical! The love and care Olivetti, a typewriter, has for its family touched my heart.

I'm disappointed. I think the premise was so interesting and unlike anything I've ever read. A typewriter that types back and helps solve a myself? Yes please! Chapters also told from the typewriter's POV? Amazing!

However, I was very underwhelmed. The story seemed half formed and the big reveal was quite lackluster. I'm so bummed because this was a fantastic idea that could have really gone somewhere and it fell short. Very short. Sigh.

A homeschool mom recommended this to me for my students. While not all was on their level, I definitely plan to pull passages from it to share.

I have never read a story from the perspective of a typewriter, but this is by far one of the best books I have read this year. This is a story that explores a plethora of emotions. I loved that this family is probably one of the most normal families I have seen in literature in a long time. I think that the discussion around mental health and working through big life changing events is one that is important for kids to see. I think that this is the kind of book that I would recommend to kids for a multitude of reasons. I also love that it takes something that we don't engage with on a regular bases and breathe life back into the importance of taking care of older thing. I also love how it makes kids realize that just because something is old does not mean that it is unimportant. I also loved the vocabulary within this book and can see this being used in schools.

This was adorable. I loved these characters and the setting. The typewriter helping Ernest and his family find Ernest's mom was amazing. Some of this book is definitely hard and could be triggering. But it is beautiful.

This title has the unique perspective of a typewritter as one of the narrators. I enjoyed the story and at points the writing was very poetic. My biggest complaint is that the text states more than once that Olivette is a dark green but the cover showcases a gray typwritter.

This was an excellent middle grade book to explore emotions and coping strategies for emotionally tragic/traumatic events. Middle grade kids do not process things to the extreme emotions that teenagers would...or maybe a better way to explain it is that they feel all the emotions but do not express them as teenagers would. Middle graders tend to be more quiet on their emotions. Like young children, middle graders understand death but do not always have all the emotional entanglement YA and adults do. However, they are broaching that area ...and this book shows how kids this age cope with strategies that are more inverted in nature.

This is a heavy content book. But it was a fast and easy read. The magical realism of the typewriter writing back made the story less intense at times.

The author did a great job of showing how children perceive adults as well. That along the way Ernest realized that his mother was important to other people in ways that were different from the relationship he had with her. This is a concept I never truly understood until I lost my own parent. You get lost in your grief, but often forget that to other people they were just as important - only in a different context. Your parent had a life outside of you and without you. And always does.

I know a lot of parents may put this book aside....there is an instance of swearing, mental health, emotional lability, family arguing, burglary, suicide, cancer. But I caution against this. Even if your child is not going through these things....it may be good for them to have ideas on how to cope before they need them. A way for them to possibly understand that how other kids are behaving may have roots in something deeper. Kids are more perceptive and smart than we often give them credit for.

We cannot protect them from the world, and giving them the tools is an important part of being a parent. They will experience the world outside of you and without you...be it sooner or later. And overall this story touches on the more traumatic areas in a gentle way without being overly graphic. I wish there had been more stories like this when I was younger.

Special thanks to Allie Millington and MacMillians Childrens Publishing and NetGalley for an ARC. This review is my own.

Can we discuss this beautiful cover? My goodness! This middle grade novel is beautifully written. Told from the perspective of a typewriter and a young boy, the story focuses on a family’s struggle through a difficult time, What I enjoyed most about this book, is the ease and care with which it dives into an extremely difficult topic, as well as the far reach of its effect. I would recommend this book for upper elementary and middle schoolers.

This was such a sweet middle-grade story! I really enjoyed the unique point of view. I have been recommending this book to several patrons.

▪️I am really on the fence about this book. There were elements I loved, but also many I didn’t.

▪️Let’s start with the positives. The cover artwork is truly outstanding and captured my attention immediately. A typewriter (named Olivetti) that communicates with people added an intriguing dimension to the story. I really appreciated the typewriter’s point of view in the narrative. The audiobook narration, especially regarding the typewriter’s voice and speech, was exceptional. Olivetti was the most fully developed character in the story.

▪️Now for the negatives. The narrative felt choppy, oscillating between adventures and darker, more somber moments. The author seems to have packed numerous plot ideas into this short story, impacting the overall cohesion. In addition, the synopsis doesn’t adequately prepare readers for the weightier themes within. Of course, middle grade books often have heavy themes for children to learn how to deal with certain situations, but this book just felt extra dark to me. Finally, I feel like the character development for the parents was lacking, particularly for Dad. I was not a fan of Dad. And while Everett and Quinn had some growth, even it was minimal. Interestingly, I emotionally connected more with the typewriter than any of the humans in the story.

▪️I am truly sorry that I didn’t connect more with this book, but it is currently averaging a 4.14 rating on Goodreads, so I am an outlier for sure. If you or your child are interested in reading this book, then by all means do so. But I’d recommend researching the trigger warnings first.

Thank you @netgalley and Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group for an eARC of this book, which I have read and reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

What can I say - I love, love, loved this story. Right from the start it tugged on my heartstrings and never let go. What an inventive, creative plot. You can't help but fall in love with The Brindle's and Olivetti.