First published 2019
Elise loves having her grandfather Melvin around, even though he now inhabits the body of a fourteen-year-old boy. He devours everything in the refrigerator and his feet smell terrible, but he makes life fascinating. Middle school proves challenging for a world-renowned scientist in a teen's body, yet Melvin brings excitement to every day. When grandfather and granddaughter join forces for the county science fair, they stumble upon something extraordinary. Their experiment might unlock the secret to eternal youth. The discovery becomes urgent when Elise's cat Jonas Salk falls ill. Suddenly their research carries life-or-death importance. But Elise must grapple with a deeper question: does living forever actually guarantee happiness? Their carefully planned experiment produces results neither of them anticipated, forcing Elise to reconsider what truly matters.
Genres: family, science-fiction, coming-of-age, fantasy
Vibes: emotional, thought-provoking, whimsical
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
264 pages · Paperback · Scholastic