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Parents' Guide to

All the Answers

By Tracy Moore, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 9+

Worried girl gets magical pencil in reassuring story.

Book Kate Messner School 2015
All the Answers Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

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age 8+

Based on 2 parent reviews

rmp154
rmp154 Parent of 10 and 12-year-old
March 24, 2023
age 7+

Daughter’s favorite book

Even though the beginning of the book is not as interesting, the book got way more interesting after that. It has just the right amount of drama and action.
Grade6CriticsCorner1
Grade6CriticsCorner1 Adult
November 8, 2021
age 9+

The Pencil with All The Answers

What if your pencil had all the answers? Would you ace every test? Would you know what your teachers were thinking? Reading an award winning book All the Answers by Kate Messner is well worth your while for it has huge character changes and developments throughout the book, has deep issues, and also for it have a strong connection to middle school students . The main character, Ava, has a huge change from the beginning to the end of the book. From a fearful little girl to a confident one. The story All the Answer has a lot of tiny but deep strong issues that could be well connected to anyone. Lastly this book All the Answer connects and relates to you because you had the same experience in the past or in the future. The next time you get bored and are in need of something to interest you, you should consider going online or to your school library to borrow this book All The Answer. I'm quite sure it will catch your attention and make you want to read to the end. What are you waiting for? Start reading it !!!
See all 2 parent reviews

What's the Story?

When Ava and her best friend, Sophie, discover a pencil that answers factual questions when you write them in the margins of your paper, they are delighted and overwhelmed. They begin to ask it everything they can dream up, from test questions to which boys have crushes on Sophie. But soon Ava begins to realize that always getting the answers isn't right, and some things are simply too difficult to know in advance. What follows is a fun, provocative adventure that teaches them about the power of knowledge and how hard it can be to do the right thing.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2 ):
Kids say (1 ):

This is a deceptively simple book; it appears to be about a fun pencil, but it opens up a world of big questions about life, death, knowledge, and purpose that are incredibly moving. Here, Ava and her friends grapple with real-life middle schooler desires and questions -- Which boys like me? What's the answer to this science question? -- and much larger concerns, such as whether her parents will divorce or die and how to find a happy balance between what we can know and do something about and what we must give up to free will.

This is a great, reassuring book for kids who have a lot of worries, or kids dealing with an ill parent, or kids who have recently lost grandparents to illness or death. It's very thoughtful and has some heavy themes, but the overall feeling is about how to cope with whatever life throws your way.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how anxiety is portrayed in All the Answers. Have you read other books that deal with this subject? Does Ava seem like other worriers you've known?

  • Do you ever worry about "what if"? How can you calm yourself down if you work yourself up about a possible bad outcome?

  • What would you do with a magic pencil that had all the factual answers? What would you ask, and why? Do you think Sophie and Ava do the right thing? Why, or why not?

Book Details

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