Tecumseh Sparrow Spivet might only be 12 in human years but with his genius for map-making and observation, he could very well pass for 100. His intricate notebooks cover such pressing issues as how many corn cobs are shucked before a bad one is found, why a badly-painted Happy Meal figurine looks pensive instead of tough and a series of numbered drawings that clearly show the awkwardness of grown men dancing.

Unaware of his age, the Smithsonian Institute awards T.S. a major scientific prize and he leaves behind his taciturn rancher father, insectologist mother and surly sister to travel precariously across the country as a Depression-era hobo instead of the simultaneously terrified and fascinated twenty-first-century child he is. Interspersed with his puzzling about the eccentricities of adults are his yearnings for his dead brother Layton to come back and share the adventure alongside him.

This wonderfully inventive gem is about finding a place in the world, negotiating the inexplicable process of grief and love and valuing the discoveries along the way.