Hachette Book of the Week – The One-in-a-Million Boy

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Miss Ona Vitkus has – aside from three months in the summer of 1914 – lived unobtrusively, her secrets fiercely protected.

The boy, with his passion for world records, changes all that.
He is eleven.
She is one hundred and four years, one hundred and thirty-three days old (they are counting).

Miss Ona is still quite capable of living on her own – with a little help. The boy helps her with some chores, particularly her numerous bird feeders. And he makes her feel like she might be really special after all. Better late than never…

Only it’s been two weeks now since he last visited, and she’s starting to think he’s not so different from all the rest.

Then the boy’s father comes for some reason determined to finish his son’s good deed. And Ona must show this new stranger that not only are there odd jobs to be done, but a life’s ambition to complete.

Despite its name, this is very much Ona’s story – the world events she has experienced are recounted by the way they affected ordinary people like her, not as they affected the world.

“Why aren’t there more characters in literature like the 104-year-old Ona, Monica Wood’s feisty heroine, a lady you’d be happy to spend time with from a wise and touching book…” – Frances Gertler, Foyles

‘I loved it! The boy is one of my favourite literary characters ever! I thought it was a gem of a novel, heart breaking and heart-warming. Beautifully written, with characters that you want to keep by your side. Such a perfect book for lovers of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and The Universe Versus Alex Woods.’– Adele Parks

The One-in-a-Million Boy by Monica Wood (published by Hachette Australia) is available now from Dymocks.

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