This grownup really enjoyed today’s selection.

Almost Famous by David Getz is a 182 page marvel. It “stars” Maxine, who is obsessed with Phil Donahue, who was a TV talk show host years ago. She keeps writing him to let him know she is “almost famous,” and he’d better invite her on his show while he can. What is she famous for? Well…nothing yet, but that doesn’t keep her from trying to invent something. What she’d like to invent is a machine that would make her little brother, Wat’s heart beat correctly.

Wat doesn’t want to sleep (He refuses to at kindergarten nap time.) because of his bad dreams about his heart murmur and other daily occurrences. Another person who can’t sleep is Maxine’s classmate, Toni’s grandmother. It seems that when grandma tries to go to sleep, instead she gets sad and scared. She nods off in the daytime, but she stays up all night and fails to take care of herself. Toni must cook for her and take care of her daily needs.

Maxine receives a strange letter announcing an Inventions of Children Contest, and she persuades the unwilling Toni to enter with her. What follows are some of the most hilarious “inventions” and invention-attempts the reader could imagine. Through it all, Maxine learns how to be a friend, something she has never learned. The ending is surprising and heart warming. This book is something you won’t want to miss.