Nine-year-old Oliver's parents are always making decisions for him. When he gets home from school, his mother has already decided what he should have for a snack. When he has a homework project his parents take over, which leaves him with barely anything to do. When Oliver comes up with a great idea for his diorama of outer space, his classmate Crystal convinces him to step out on his own and start trying to make his own choices.
I loved Oliver as a character. He was sweetly funny, and his narration captured the frustration and disappointment of his situation with perfect realism. Our world is full of parents like Oliver's; Wikipedia even has a page on Helicopter Parents. Perhaps, if those parents could look through Oliver's eyes, he could change more than just his own world.
