Olivetti by Allie Millington

Olivetti features an uncommon protagonist—a manual typewriter—with the keys to unravel a mystery.

Olivetti by Allie Millington. Feiwel and Friends, 2024, 246 pages.

Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12

Recommended for: ages 8-14

The Brindle family’s apartment is full of words and stories, mostly inspired by Beatrice the mom. The Olivetti manual typewriter her husband Felix gave her years ago has been both muse and means of recording thoughts, poems, memories, story settings, and round-robin tales. Ezra, Adalyn, Earnest, and Arlo have all tapped out thoughts on the machine, but Olivetti was always understood as Beatrice’s domain, even after she acquired the non-clackety laptop. But something’s wrong; Beatrice has drawn into herself, and one fateful day she locks the typewriter in its case and takes it to a pawnshop. Then she disappears. If she only knew that Olivetti has kept all her thoughts and memories—for he has a memory too.

It doesn’t take long for Earnest, the sensitive and introverted 12-year-old, to discover Olivetti’s amazing ability to communicate. All he needs is a sheet of paper in his carriage, and clues to the mystery of Beatrice’s disappearance come rolling out. But they’re only clues; Earnest will need more help in unraveling them. Enter the pawnbroker’s daughter Quinn, who quickly muscles her way in on the secret. Earnest isn’t accustomed to sharing his inmost thoughts, but he might be forced to. Olivetti would be only too happy to share everything, but he might be shut down before that happens.

Obviously, this story is unique, and it’s a compliment to this debut author’s skill that she makes a sentient typewriter believable. To mystery is added humor, emotion, warmth, and human conflict and interaction, including one of the best dads I’ve encountered in fiction. There’s a core of sadness to the story never quite resolved, but love is certain and love—cliched as it may seem—will overcome.   

Overall Rating: 4.5 (out of 5)

• Worldview/moral value: 4
• Artistic/literary value: 5

Read more about our ratings here.

Also at Redeemed Reader:

• Reviews: Other books about parents facing tough issues that involve their children: Final Season, Before the Ever After, The Crossover, and The Unforgettable Guinevere St. Clair.
• Reflection: How does one awaken their own artistic gifts? See Megans thoughts (and typewriter memories) in Unburying the Dream.

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