Twelve-year-old Leo feels like a sardine, squashed in the middle of his large bustling family. A practiced daydreamer, Leo is not as flashy as his siblings and he often feels forgotten, but he is about to make his mark: he has just gotten a part in his school play. As Leo rehearses his role, he also rehearses his real-life part, constantly replaying scenes in his head, rewriting his lines to say the things he wished he had said. At the same time, he has just discovered his father’s childhood diary in the attic. Reading it leads Leo to a suprising new understanding of his dad and his family. Creech’s funny, poignant novel, written in a combination of prose and dialogue, speaks to the power art has in shaping our lives. The complete text of the school play is included at the end of the book. (Ages 8–11)