All the Impossible Things
- Downloads：1133
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-07-10 06:52:10
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Lindsay Lackey
- ISBN：1250618908
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
A bit of magic， a sprinkling of adventure， and a whole lot of heart collide in All the Impossible Things， Lindsay Lackey's extraordinary middle-grade novel about a young girl navigating the foster care system in search of where she belongs。
"Wise and wondrous， this is truly a novel to cherish。” —Katherine Applegate， New York Times–bestselling author of Wishtree
An Indies Introduce Selection
Red’s inexplicable power over the wind comes from her mother。 Whenever Ruby “Red” Byrd is scared or angry， the wind picks up。 And being placed in foster care， moving from family to family， tends to keep her skies stormy。 Red knows she has to learn to control it， but can’t figure out how。
This time， the wind blows Red into the home of the Grooves， a quirky couple who run a petting zoo， complete with a dancing donkey and a giant tortoise。 With their own curious gifts， Celine and Jackson Groove seem to fit like a puzzle piece into Red’s heart。
But just when Red starts to settle into her new life， a fresh storm rolls in， one she knows all too well: her mother。 For so long， Red has longed to have her mom back in her life， and she’s quickly swept up in the vortex of her mother’s chaos。 Now Red must discover the possible in the impossible if she wants to overcome her own tornadoes and find the family she needs。
"Wise and wondrous， this is truly a novel to cherish。” —Katherine Applegate， New York Times–bestselling author of Wishtree
An Indies Introduce Selection
Red’s inexplicable power over the wind comes from her mother。 Whenever Ruby “Red” Byrd is scared or angry， the wind picks up。 And being placed in foster care， moving from family to family， tends to keep her skies stormy。 Red knows she has to learn to control it， but can’t figure out how。
This time， the wind blows Red into the home of the Grooves， a quirky couple who run a petting zoo， complete with a dancing donkey and a giant tortoise。 With their own curious gifts， Celine and Jackson Groove seem to fit like a puzzle piece into Red’s heart。
But just when Red starts to settle into her new life， a fresh storm rolls in， one she knows all too well: her mother。 For so long， Red has longed to have her mom back in her life， and she’s quickly swept up in the vortex of her mother’s chaos。 Now Red must discover the possible in the impossible if she wants to overcome her own tornadoes and find the family she needs。
Reviews
Emily
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Good book， kinda sad tho :，（
Dani Derringer Zhang
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The Brenè Brown and Glennon Doyle of Middle Grade fiction。 The first few chapters felt like a string of pop-culture literary nods to the adult readers。 I almost put it down。 So very glad I didn’t。 This book has a forever home on my shelf—for the hard times that feel impossible。
Amanda Schwind
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This was hands down the best novel I have read with a foster child Main character！ Red had such a believable story， but I also appreciated the fantastical element of her ability to control the weather and how that have tangible depth to her emotions。My only teeny tiny critique is that I did not like that the foster parents said they were "fostering to adopt。" I have beef with that phrase to begin with， and I wish that had just been left out。 But my philosophy on that statement can be shared anot This was hands down the best novel I have read with a foster child Main character！ Red had such a believable story， but I also appreciated the fantastical element of her ability to control the weather and how that have tangible depth to her emotions。My only teeny tiny critique is that I did not like that the foster parents said they were "fostering to adopt。" I have beef with that phrase to begin with， and I wish that had just been left out。 But my philosophy on that statement can be shared another day。。Overall， I still highly highly recommend this book！ 。。。more
Theresa Milstein
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Well done。 At first， I didn't think her storm powers were a necessary part of the story。 But I came around。 I think the ending is an important， much needed perspective。 Well done。 At first， I didn't think her storm powers were a necessary part of the story。 But I came around。 I think the ending is an important， much needed perspective。 。。。more
Kelli Reagle
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I really loved this story。 It was fun and beautiful。
George Kasnic
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Incredible book。 Similar to “One for the Murthy’s，” but great in its own way。 Read it！
Dawnelle Wynia
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Great kids book， it’s pretty long and deals with a lot of adult issues; foster care， cancer， child neglect， but nothing over the top。 I love the little bit of magic thrown in- it isn’t explained…just there to enhance the emotion of the moment。 Red， or Ruby， is a foster kiddo being tossed from home to home until she finds a family to trust。 Throughout her stay with them she slowly uncovers her past and learns the truth about her mom。 It’s a truth that she has a hard time accepting until the very Great kids book， it’s pretty long and deals with a lot of adult issues; foster care， cancer， child neglect， but nothing over the top。 I love the little bit of magic thrown in- it isn’t explained…just there to enhance the emotion of the moment。 Red， or Ruby， is a foster kiddo being tossed from home to home until she finds a family to trust。 Throughout her stay with them she slowly uncovers her past and learns the truth about her mom。 It’s a truth that she has a hard time accepting until the very end。 。。。more
Katie Wickliff
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4。5
Theresa
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Red has lost everything: her grandmother is dead， her mother's in prison and she is now in the foster care system。 Every home in which she has been placed has rejected her。 More importantly she cannot seem to manage her power over the wind。 The more intense her emotions， the more Red cannot control the wind around her， sometimes resulting in tremendous physical property damage。 Finally she is placed with the Groove family who own the Groovy Petting Zoo。 The Grooves， Jackson and Celine， are the k Red has lost everything: her grandmother is dead， her mother's in prison and she is now in the foster care system。 Every home in which she has been placed has rejected her。 More importantly she cannot seem to manage her power over the wind。 The more intense her emotions， the more Red cannot control the wind around her， sometimes resulting in tremendous physical property damage。 Finally she is placed with the Groove family who own the Groovy Petting Zoo。 The Grooves， Jackson and Celine， are the kindest people Red has ever met， but she refuses to allow herself to form attachments。 The only thing she can dream of is being reunited with her mother。 She is anxiously awaiting her mother's release from prison。 Despite her reluctance to be vulnerable， she bonds with a 400 pound tortoise named Tuck。 As a result of her relationship with Tuck， she begins to open up to the other animals on the farm as well as the people， including Marvin， a boy her own age。 The novel is a lovely story about the power of love and its ability to calm the emotional winds that Red has struggled so ferociously to control。 。。。more
Christine Indorf
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Definitely a 5 Star！！！Red goes to foster to foster home when her Mother is in jail for drugs。 She moves in with Jackson and Celine who run a petting farm。 They love her and want her but Red wants to move back to her Mother when she got out of jail。 The problem， does her Mother really want her like her new foster parents。 When Celine gets sick can she trust her foster parents to be there for her？ Whenever Red gets upset the wind blows like her Mother。 Can she control it when everything else is ou Definitely a 5 Star！！！Red goes to foster to foster home when her Mother is in jail for drugs。 She moves in with Jackson and Celine who run a petting farm。 They love her and want her but Red wants to move back to her Mother when she got out of jail。 The problem， does her Mother really want her like her new foster parents。 When Celine gets sick can she trust her foster parents to be there for her？ Whenever Red gets upset the wind blows like her Mother。 Can she control it when everything else is out of control？ Great story。 I know the wind had a major part to this story but it didn't need to be in the story the main story was wonderful enough！ Loved this story and found Red journey to be inspiring！ I highly recommend this story to all！！ 。。。more
Rose
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I really liked the cover of this book as well as the message about love。 However， the wind thing was a bit confusing and seemed unnecessary。 It was just weird。 I liked the characters， but the middle dragged a little。
Cabiria Aquarius
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I couldn’t put this book down。 From the first few pages it had me curious。 And as I went I just needed to know how things went and what lessons I learned。 This story taught me things about “impossible” and family。 “It only seems impossible until it’s done。” That’s going to be a new motto of mine I think。 Thank you。 This book made me emotional。 I cried while reading and I don’t regret it。 Feelings demand fo be felt and in this story I felt them a lot。 Family isn’t always who you thought it would I couldn’t put this book down。 From the first few pages it had me curious。 And as I went I just needed to know how things went and what lessons I learned。 This story taught me things about “impossible” and family。 “It only seems impossible until it’s done。” That’s going to be a new motto of mine I think。 Thank you。 This book made me emotional。 I cried while reading and I don’t regret it。 Feelings demand fo be felt and in this story I felt them a lot。 Family isn’t always who you thought it would be and that is okay。 The added bonus of a little bit of magic to get points across was well added and made it all the more powerful messages that were conveyed and made the emotions all the more real。 This story will be one that sticks with me for a while yet。 Thank you for creating this and sharing it with the world。 Distrust and fear can turn to routine and expectation。 But sometimes trust and love can prove that maybe it’s not always the case。 I absolutely gobbled this up。 I loved it。 。。。more
Rachel Krueger
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Heart warming book。 A young girl growing up and learning what real love and family is about。
Ann
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I was pretty skeptical about this book before starting it， but it definitely proved itself a worthwhile read。 Red is a girl in the foster system who is just waiting for her mom to get out of jail so they can be a family again。 She happens to be placed with Celine and Jackson after being removed from a less-than-ideal foster family。 They’re not what Red expected， and they slowly win her heart。 In the meantime， Red learns about love and sadness， the difference between hard and impossible， and what I was pretty skeptical about this book before starting it， but it definitely proved itself a worthwhile read。 Red is a girl in the foster system who is just waiting for her mom to get out of jail so they can be a family again。 She happens to be placed with Celine and Jackson after being removed from a less-than-ideal foster family。 They’re not what Red expected， and they slowly win her heart。 In the meantime， Red learns about love and sadness， the difference between hard and impossible， and what family looks like。 It’s a book that gives a look inside a situation that hopefully not too many kids have to deal with themselves， to provide an understanding for kids who are in a different place than they are。 A lot of kids （I think） can identify with feeling broken or disappointed with their parents or frustrated and angry with no place to release it， so that might provide some common ground。For most of the book I wasn’t sure about Red’s wind or why it was even there。 It was sporadic， singular to her mom and her， and didn’t really seem to serve much of a purpose， but by the end， as a metaphor for her anger and disappointment and sadness about her mom， it made more sense。 It also helped to have a point of comparison with Celine’s story about the stars after her son died， how unleashing her anger threatened to destroy something that she loved and that realization helped her to change how she dealt with it。 I’m still not sure if that means that the wind is gone， or if Red knows how to control it， or what role it will play in her life going forward， but im satisfied that she was able to see how feelings aren’t mutually exclusive， and that really loving someone means that you do what’s best for them， even if that looks like ratting them out or giving them up。 Reading this book with my oldest gave opportunities for good conversations， that in itself was probably worth the read。 。。。more
Carissa
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I really enjoyed this one。 The author did a good job expressing the conflicting emotions and pain Red experienced as a foster child without going too deep。 I loved the use of a special power to help portray the characters feelings。 Great for middle readers and up。
C。C Ling
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This book started off pretty slow， but then a bit more drama kicked in and it was amazing。 The slight bit of magic tied into it was good too
Meredith Katsu
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Stunning。 Such depth and beauty in a story of difficult things。 I love the hope woven through。 So many tears， both happy and sad。
Jameyanne Fuller
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Loved this！
Stephanie Affinito
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Love can do impossible things and this book reminds us of that in a big way。 Red， an eleven year old girl， has moved from foster home to foster home as she waits the 397 days left until her mother is released from prison。 Armed with her notebook， the wisdom of her grandmother and hope for her mother’s return， she attempts to find her place within her new foster family。 Jackon and Celine provide the unconditional love and stability that has been hard to find and give her hope that she’ll be alrig Love can do impossible things and this book reminds us of that in a big way。 Red， an eleven year old girl， has moved from foster home to foster home as she waits the 397 days left until her mother is released from prison。 Armed with her notebook， the wisdom of her grandmother and hope for her mother’s return， she attempts to find her place within her new foster family。 Jackon and Celine provide the unconditional love and stability that has been hard to find and give her hope that she’ll be alright until her mother returns。 But when things change drastically， Red has to make an important decision about her future， one that is threatened by her raging emotions that seem to impact the literal wind around her。 This book will give you a new perspective， will give you hope and will even give you a little bit of magic， too。 。。。more
Trigger Warning Database
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Trigger & Content WarningsFoster careParent in incarceration
abi
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i think if i had known from the beginning that this was gonna be magical realism， i think i would’ve liked it more
K Gover
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 -22 All the Impossible Things by Lindsay LackeyEverything is Impossible- until it is done。 "Gamma"Red is a 12 year old foster kid。 She has been in foster care for three years since her mom went to prison。 At the opening of the book she is leaving a foster care home with three boys that would pinch her and a mom who didn’t care about her。She has a wind power within her。 Wind blows when she feels strong emotion。 Red‘s caseworker brings her to the Groove‘s farm where veterinarian Jackson and his wi -22 All the Impossible Things by Lindsay LackeyEverything is Impossible- until it is done。 "Gamma"Red is a 12 year old foster kid。 She has been in foster care for three years since her mom went to prison。 At the opening of the book she is leaving a foster care home with three boys that would pinch her and a mom who didn’t care about her。She has a wind power within her。 Wind blows when she feels strong emotion。 Red‘s caseworker brings her to the Groove‘s farm where veterinarian Jackson and his wife Celine welcome her。 Wife Celine looks closely at Red and seems to want to make her happy。 All the dogs the goats and llamas add a sense of lightness to the series topic。 Celine gives her books b/c she knows she likes to read。 Celine and Jackson are older。 “Kids are like shoes。 They can be kicked off。 Left behind or not be a good fit “Marvin- neighbor forces her into a friendship。 At first she is rude to him， then apologizes by eating his poi at the school costume day。 Red takes a liking to the tortoise Tuck and starts to help out with his care。 Reading to him and cleaning cage。 She likes to write letters to her mom。 They are included in text。 1st day of school - mean girl teases her and she counts her breath。 Red flashes back to Gamma。 She made a list of Impossible things… tornados， bumblebees， Read Fein‘s last five letters she has written to her mother in the mailbox with a return to sender stamp on them。 She is extremely upset。 However she doesn’t tell anyone。Three weeks after red has been with the grooves Marvin and his Hawaiian family host a luau Iran’s honor。 Marvin cooks pineapple kebabs on his YouTube channel。 His grandparents and parents are all dressed in Hawaiian garb。 Please and give them to rain in the grooves。 When Marvin‘s mother does the signature dance read is her emotions and the lights go out in the windows wild and glass crashes。 The barn door came off it’s hinges the big oak tree cracked in half all the animals got loose。 And talked the tortoise is now missing they can’t find him anywhere。Read has flashbacks about when her mothers wind was soft and light and then after she started taking pills how angry her mothers wind would get。 Reds wind is always angry like her moms。 Tag is still missing。 Red is still mad at her self。 30 people show up on Thanksgiving day to help search for him。 One night Celine and Brad go for a walk and watch the singing stars。 Read opens up and shows Celine the notebook of all the impossible things that she made with her Gamma。 She also flashes back to a time when her mom had stolen Gamma‘s medicine when grandma got sick。 We learn that Celine‘s six-year-old son died of meningitis。Of all the impossible things the immortal jellyfish is sort of cool。 An adult jellyfish can turn back into a baby when things get too tough or scary。 And start life all over again。Lindsey Lackey uses language like she snuck a few Spanish words in her sentence。 For another memory snakes itselfRed has a supervised visit with her mother。 Her mother explained she has to get herself together before she can help her。 Red is left I’m sure that her mother wants to be with her。 In the middle of the night red goes out to look for talk in a snowstorm and she finds him！Christmas Jackson’s daughter Nicole shows up with her twin boys Celine get six and falls in the kitchen read text the boys into the barn。 When a rat tries to attack them and she picks up the rake Nicole walks in and it looks like red is going to hurt the boys。 So he goes into surgery in red goes to a different Foster home。When Celine gets home， she tells Red she has cancer and will need surgery and chemo。 Red is scared because she remembers taking care of Gamma when she went through cancer and her mom wasn't around。 Red's mother had been released from jail for 3 months before she reaches out to see Red。 The relationship is strained。 Red wants her mom so much， and her mom isn't interested/ capable of taking care of herself so she can be with Red。 After several visits that start to reveal Wanda （Red's mom） true abilities， Red tries to make a video to send to the judge to convince him that she can go live with her mom。 Unfortunately Marvin erases the video by accident。 Wanda doesn't show up to her court date， she starts taking pills again。 Red visits her unexpectedly and when emotions flare- Red sets off a tornado。 A tornado that is headed straight to the hospital Celine is at。 She calls Ms。 Anders， her social worker for help。 Ms。 Anders has always known Red had some special wind powers and helps her stop the tornado。 When Wanda's true abilities are revealed， The Groove's offer to adopt Red。 Red is very happy， and asks to be called Ruby。 Topics: foster care， drug abuse， neglect， wind power， singing stars， family， animalsRecommended: grades 5 and up due to content。 Readability grade 4+Lots of created details throughout "big things that can't be moved list。。 the titanic" 。。。more
Lisa Welch
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3。5 stars rounded up。 There was a lot to love about this one， but I did struggle with the inclusion of the magical realism。。。。。it just didn't fit with this particular book in my opinion。 I loved the characters and the setting， but most of all I loved the relationships。 3。5 stars rounded up。 There was a lot to love about this one， but I did struggle with the inclusion of the magical realism。。。。。it just didn't fit with this particular book in my opinion。 I loved the characters and the setting， but most of all I loved the relationships。 。。。more
Erika
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The story of Red （Ruby） is quite a powerful story。 Life hasn't been easy for her with her mother's addiction issue， her grandmother's death after battling cancer， and now moving from foster home to foster home until her mother gets out of prison。 On top of this， Red has a gift that creates wind and storms that relate to her emotions。 She finally arrives at the Grooves house where she struggles to keep her wall up with Celine and Jackson and her neighbor Marvin。 As Red begins to trust that Celine The story of Red （Ruby） is quite a powerful story。 Life hasn't been easy for her with her mother's addiction issue， her grandmother's death after battling cancer， and now moving from foster home to foster home until her mother gets out of prison。 On top of this， Red has a gift that creates wind and storms that relate to her emotions。 She finally arrives at the Grooves house where she struggles to keep her wall up with Celine and Jackson and her neighbor Marvin。 As Red begins to trust that Celine and Jackson aren't going to send her away， Celine is diagnosed with cancer。 This sends yet another spiral in Red's journey。I originally ordered and red this book because Celine is diagnosed with appendix cancer， just like my husband， and someone in our Facebook support group suggested it。 It is such a well written story and when information relating to the cancer is included， it is accurate。 I am so impressed that Lindsay Lackey included such a rare cancer in her book。 It makes my heart sing knowing that this might get more awareness out there。 。。。more
Claire
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Red or Ruby control the wind just like her mom。 When she’s scared， angry or any other bad feelings the wind will pick up and sometimes storms can get in the way of other things too。 She was placed in foster care and she moves from place to place a lot。 She goes to the Grooves who own a petting zoo with a giant turtle。 Red doesn’t want to believe it but the Grooves might have a place in her heart。 Not too far later her mom comes along。 She loves her mom but her mom has a few problems of her own a Red or Ruby control the wind just like her mom。 When she’s scared， angry or any other bad feelings the wind will pick up and sometimes storms can get in the way of other things too。 She was placed in foster care and she moves from place to place a lot。 She goes to the Grooves who own a petting zoo with a giant turtle。 Red doesn’t want to believe it but the Grooves might have a place in her heart。 Not too far later her mom comes along。 She loves her mom but her mom has a few problems of her own and some of them， Red isn’t too happy about。 Now Red needs to figure out what's impossible and what's not and find where she really belongs。 。。。more
Blue Sapphire
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I know this is a middle grade book but I have never felt so happy and sad and heartbroken and emotionally connected to a book。 I adored everything about this book！
Flyingzebras
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Just so good。
Andie
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This was such a poignant and thoughtful story。 This would be a great read aloud or independent read for middle grade readers， especially for building empathy and developing coping skills and patience。
Suzanne Elyse
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A sweet book -- almost felt too sweet considering the sometimes difficult topic of foster care。 The sci-fi element was a fun addition but it often felt out of place and awkward。 Still an enjoyable read， though。
。 Ile
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