He discovers a happy, tap-dancing, singing version of his father, so unlike the older, impatient parent he now calls Papa. One rainy day as he seeks quiet refuge in the attic, Leo happens upon a treasure box which contains The Autobiography of Giorgio, Age of Thirteen. As he is also a non-stop dreamer, said large family is not above calling him “ fog boy,” often having to drag him out of his imaginary world filled with starring Broadway roles and Nobel prizes. (Sept.His name is Leonardo, he’ll answer to Leo, but he’s most often called “ sardine” by his nearest and dearest because several years ago, “Leo got squashed in a corner and cried … said, ‘I’m just a little sardine, squashed in a tin.'” Caught between older sister Contento, and younger brothers Pietro and Nunzio, Leo is always rather sardined in between the members of his boisterous, extended Italian American family. But the author artfully weaves together dreams, memories and minor crises that occur at home and onstage, to create a tapestry of images and voices that celebrate both the imagination and family. Some readers may be disappointed not to see more development of the relationship between Leo and his father. The journal, structured as an autobiography, reveals family secrets and provides Leo with insight into his father, who has become quiet and cautious since suffering a heart attack. Leo also discovers a journal written by his father at age 13. The 12-year-old lands a part in a school play and is finally able to live out his dream of taking the spotlight (even if he is playing the minor role of an 'old crone'-how he warms up to the role makes for some comical scenes). At home, the boy sometimes feels lost in a mob of people (when he was little, he once lamented 'I'm just a little sardine, squashed in a tin'), but he does have a wonderful fantasy life, in which he always manages to rise above the crowd and emerge a hero. Using a surgeon's precision, the author cuts beneath Leo's surface layer to reveal his concerns about the future and his desire to be someone special. ), this story features a middle child growing up in a large, boisterous Italian family. Written with the kind of warmth, understanding and economical prose that has characterized Creech's previous novels ( Walk Two Moons

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