“This well-constructed novel satisfies on many levels.”—School Library Journal Janine is prepared for a sticky, boring summer on her family’s land in the middle of nowhere. Far from town and with only her ailing brother Ricky for company, Janine spends half her time stuck inside with him, wishing that their mother would let them out to play. But when Mr. Lunas—a mysterious man who saved Janine’s father’s life in the war—arrives through the cornfields, strange things begin happening. Mr. Lunas eats them out of house and home, then suddenly stops eating at all. And then Ricky’s health takes a turn for the worse, and it looks like Janine’s world is about to spin out of control. Mr. Lunas comes to her rescue, encouraging her to break Ricky free—and then giving them both an enormous gift. “A good introduction for younger readers of the possibility of symbolism and allegory in storytelling . . . comforting indeed.”—The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books