Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life

Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life

Written by Wendy Mass

2006 Realistic Fiction

“THE MEANING OF LIFE: FOR JEREMY FINK TO OPEN ON HIS 13^TH BIRTHDAY” …. Those lines revealed on page 13 of the book sets the entire story up.  A five year old newspaper, dated on week after Jeremy’s father died in a somewhat expected automobile crash, wrapped around a beautifully crafted wood box with four separate, intricate key holes accompanied by a letter written to Jeremy’s mother, from his fathers college buddy Harold!!  WOW!!  If you think that is confusing, wait until you get into the story.  Back to the box, as Harold explains, the four keys have been misplaced and this begins the search for the keys…..and much more significant, the meaning of life.  Jeremy’s best friend Lizzy loves adventure and vows to help him.  The duo of Lizzy and Jeremy decide that Larry the Locksmith and his son Larry Junior are of little help in unlocking the secrets held within the box, so they turn to the streets of New York!

There they find an array of people who have a specific hand in their adventure……..that is all I can tell you right now.  His father, dead 5 years, had a plan and in the end Jeremy discovered that love was stronger than death!! 

I have never read Wendy Mass, but I will again.  It was a longgggg book to have read this week with so much going on, but it would be an incredible read aloud because of all of the life questions it poses to its readers!  I loved it!!