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The Absolute Value of Mike Audiobook
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(3.03) - 636 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Kathryn Erskine won the National Book Award for her mesmerizing novel Mockingbird. In The Absolute Value of Mike, a young man grows up during an unlikely adventure. Despite his best efforts, Mike has a hard time communicating with his calculus-loving father-and having a math learning disability certainly doesn't help. But when Mike is sent to Pennsylvania to work on an engineering project, the young man learns valuable lessons from the colorful characters he meets.
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"I loved this book. Like in Mockingbird, Erskine knows how to deal with life, death, challenges, and triumphs in a smart, thought-provoking way. Mike's father is a brilliant engineer and mathmetician, but doesn't know how to relate to his 14-year-old son. Mike's mother died, and his father takes an overseas job opportunity, so he sends Mike off to a small town (Donover, except it's missing its n, making it Do over, PA) to stay with his great aunt and uncle, who Mike's father thinks is building an artesian screw. He thinks this will be a valuable project for Mike to learn engineering skills. Moo, his eighty-something great aunt, is a bit quirky, and Poppy, his uncle, is pretty much catatonic over the fairly recent loss of their son. At first, Mike is exasperated that he's stuck in this crazy town with its eccentric residents, but soon, through a project involving an adoption, he learns his true purpose in life and is able to stand up to his father. It's funny, poignant, and would be a great book for middle school boys."
— Holly (5 out of 5 stars)
The Absolute Value of Mike Listener Reviews
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" A very quirky and thoroughly enjoyable read! "
— Lee, 2/9/2014 -
" I really liked this book, and Dyscalculia is a disability that many don't really know about or just forget, I really liked this book I really recommend it to anyone. "
— Kathryn, 2/7/2014 -
" Absolutely loved this YA book. It's sweet and quirky and kind. Read if you need a little boost, even if you don't have a YA around the house. "
— Mamacate, 1/17/2014 -
" I absolutely loved this book! Kathryn Erskine is a fabulous writer! "
— Carrie, 1/7/2014 -
" Hmmmm, this is a good a parent can love. All issues are resolved in the end with love success and fanfare. "
— Carla, 12/19/2013 -
" A heart-warming story "
— Delila, 12/19/2013 -
" Awesome! Mike gets the opportunity to discover how valuable he is. "
— Patty, 12/4/2013 -
" I thought it was a pretty good boom with a good story. It could've had a better ending. "
— Grant, 10/27/2013 -
" Brent is reading "
— Kristin, 10/7/2013 -
" Quirky and hopeful, but missing something to make it truly great. "
— Melissa, 8/9/2013 -
" I really enjoyed this book! It teaches everybody so many great lessons! Nice and cute read! "
— Jacquelyn, 6/14/2013 -
" Well it was kind of boring but everything came together real nicely at the end I thought that was sweet. "
— Arimas, 6/11/2013 -
" I read the Advance Review Copy from San Diego ALA conference. Erskine has a lovely light touch with kids' issues. This one is quirkier than her others, characters are fun and kids will enjoy it. "
— Sarah, 11/4/2012 -
" I was prepared to love this book after having read the excellent Mockingbird, but I'm sorry to say I didn't. It was an interesting premise, but Erskine strained credulity too many times to recommend it to my students enthusiastically. "
— jmjester, 11/10/2011 -
" Very funny book about a boy spending the summer with his great-aunt and uncle in a rural Pennsylvania town. Great choice for middle-schoolers--especially the boys, but girls will like it as well. "
— Cathe, 11/1/2011 -
" Good book, very funny and touching. "
— Polly, 11/1/2011 -
" Very funny book about a boy spending the summer with his great-aunt and uncle in a rural Pennsylvania town. Great choice for middle-schoolers--especially the boys, but girls will like it as well. "
— Cathe, 10/24/2011 -
" Funny and sad at the same time. I enjoyed spending time with the characters in this book and really felt for Mike. "
— Laura, 10/1/2011 -
" This book had great characters. The storyline was a little far fetched but I went with it. Overall it was a cute book with lots of potential but the ending seemed rushed and weak. "
— Amy, 9/23/2011 -
" Nice enough I guess, but not really what I was hoping for. I think there were too many characters with too many similar coping issues. "
— Sandy, 9/19/2011 -
" This was a bit of a disappointment after Erskine's last book Mockingbird. It just didn't ring true, and the eccentric cast of characters was pretty 2-dimensional. There were lots of clever devices in use, but they felt like just that - clever devices. Meh. "
— Brian, 9/5/2011 -
" I listened to the Recorded Books cds and there were several times I laughed out loud. Very funny and the reader for this book was absolutely excellent!!! "
— Joan, 8/29/2011 -
" Eh, this book was okay. The kid refers to his depressed dad as an "idiot" several times; that was rude. Mike is a cute boy though, and a typical teen thinking he knows better than adults. It was just an okay read :P "
— Lauren, 8/28/2011 -
" Quirky and hopeful, but missing something to make it truly great. "
— Melissa, 8/23/2011 -
" Good story about a guy who discovers his own strengths organizing fund raising (and more) in a small town. I was a little disappointed in the abrupt ending though. I wished we'd had a bit more closure. I knew things were going to turn out ok, but I would have liked to read that too. C+ "
— JennLynn, 8/23/2011 -
" Loved every little quirk, but disagree that it made for lighter reading than mockingbird. "
— Linda, 8/19/2011 -
" I read the Advance Review Copy from San Diego ALA conference. Erskine has a lovely light touch with kids' issues. This one is quirkier than her others, characters are fun and kids will enjoy it. "
— Sarah, 12/16/2010
About Kathryn Erskine
Kathryn Erskine is the acclaimed author of many distinguished novels for young readers, including Mockingbird, winner of the National Book Award; The Absolute Value of Mike, an Amazon Best Book and ALA Notable Book; and Quaking, an ALA Top Ten Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers; and Seeing Red, which Booklist hailed as “powerful” in a starred review. Kathryn lives and writes in Charlottesville, Virginia, with her husband and two children.
About Noah Galvin
Noah Galvin has performed in numerous regional and off-Broadway plays, including performances in Yosemite, Treasure Island, Our Town, and Broadway Kids. Also a narrator, he has read books by Stephen Chbosky and Matthew Quick, among others.