All The Answers by Kate Messner

From Goodreads,

"What if your pencil had all the answers? Would you ace every test? Would you know what your teachers were thinking? When Ava Anderson finds a scratched up pencil she doodles like she would with any other pencil. But when she writes a question in the margin of her math quiz, she hears a clear answer in a voice no one else seems to hear.

With the help of her friend Sophie, Ava figures out that the pencil will answer factual questions only – those with definite right or wrong answers – but won’t predict the future. Ava and Sophie discover all kinds of uses for the pencil, and Ava's confidence grows with each answer. But it's getting shorter with every sharpening, and when the pencil reveals a scary truth about Ava's family, she realizes that sometimes the bravest people are the ones who live without all the answers..."

Goodreads - All The Answers

This book begins with Ava Anderson grabbing a pencil out of a drawer the morning of her math test.  Once she makes it to school, she starts the test, only to realize she doesn't know the answer.  She writes down the question in hopes that it will jog her memory.  Instead, a voice tells her the answer.  Eventually, Ava finds that this pencil will tell her the answer to factual questions only.  The book continues as Ava tries to get answers to burning questions and manage her anxiety, but in turn has to deal with some of the answers to those questions.

I absolutely loved this book.  The idea of having a pencil that could tell you answers is so amazing.  While I was reading this I was constantly asking myself what questions I would ask the pencil.  There would be the ever popular questions about religion or about relationships.  I would of course ask questions like, "Who shot JFK?" or "Who killed Jon Benet Ramsey?"  But eventually, just like in the book, the pencil would grow shorter and shorter.  I'm not sure if the pencil would make me more or less anxious.  I struggle with wanting to control and know the future.  I really connected with Ava in that aspect.  Ava clearly struggled with anxiety in the book and I could see so much of myself in this character.

I have no complaints about this book.  I loved every word on every page.  It was well written and very thought out.  I would give this book 6 stars, but my scale only goes to 5, so 5 stars it is.  I would recommend this book to anyone 4th grade and up.