The Most Important Thing: Stories about Sons, Fathers, and Grandfathers

by Avi

One of the most beloved writers of our time presents seven short stories exploring the vital ties between fathers and sons.

Luke sees the ghost of his father but can’t figure out what Dad wants him to do. Paul takes a camping trip with the grandfather he’s just met and discovers what lies behind the man’s erratic behavior. Ryan has some surprising questions when he interviews his prospective stepfather for the job. In a compellingly honest collection of stories, multiple-award-winning author Avi introduces seven boys — boys with fathers at home and boys whose fathers have left, boys who spend most of their time with their grandfathers and boys who would rather spend time with anyone but the men in their lives. By turns heartbreaking, hopeful, and funny, the stories show us boys seeking acceptance, guidance, or just someone to look up to. Each one shines a different light on the question "What is the most important thing a father can do for his son?"

Genres: Short Stories, Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction, Family, Fiction, Childrens, Young Adult

224 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2017

About the author

Avi is a pen name for Edward Irving Wortis, but he says, "The fact is, Avi is the only name I use." Born in 1937, Avi has created many fictional favorites such as The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, Nothing but the Truth, and the Crispin series. His work is popular among readers young and old.

Reviews

[Soraya Laboy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of the saddest stories ever.

[Alex Baugh · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had very mixed feelings about this book of short stories. Some felt like they had been written relatively recently, but others felt like old stories pulled out of the file cabinet to fill in the them of the book and seemed rather out of date to me. The theme - what’s the most important thing a father or grandfather can do for his son/grandson is to be there for him as he grows up - was sometimes lost in the story, other times quite clear. Avi does cover a range of fathers from neglectful and abusive to kind and caring, but they just lacked a certain je ne sais quoi.

[Matthew Archibald · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book, though it was not what I'd expected. Seven stories, supposedly themed around the question, "What's the most important thing you can do for your son?" I think a question more appropriate for most of the stories would be, "What's the worst thing you could neglect to do for your son?"

I didn't dislike the writing, and the stories were perfectly believable, but I just didn't get the point of most of them, other than showing how dads can screw up. The two stories I liked the best were those where the father was dead. "Departed" had a nice ending, and "Tighty-Whities or Boxers?" was enjoyably funny.

I was going to give this to my son when I finished reading it (and I probably still will) but I'm going to warn him that these are mostly not feel-good stories.

[Brynn Dachtler · Rating 3 out of 5]

These stories are mostly about absent or distant fathers. Aside from the last two stories ("Departed" and Tighty whiteys or boxers?") the others were a mixed bag. I also liked the first story "Dream catcher"

[notaril · Rating 3 out of 5]

date ideas: you read this while I silently judge your reaction

[Mohit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice and short. Some of them strike a chord.

[Charit · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet quick book to start the year and special as it’s the first book my son gifted me.
The stories are short but so engaging. Each captures some delicate aspect of a father/grandfather - son relationship.

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the stories very much. I liked his first one "What Does Fish Have to Do With Anything?" better but I liked this book of short stories. Despite them being very short and with an open ending, I can feel for the characters.(Even though I can't relate to the relationships they have.) I didn't enjoy the last two stories as much as the rest though. My favorite one was Beat Up. I'd say the stories are sad, and a I know that some people wouldn't like that. However, if, you think about it, I think more times than not coming of age and growing up is more sad than happy. Your innocence and child like joy is shattered as you realize that life is not going to be fun and games anymore. People like to watch and read about families that love each other and will always pull through for their loved ones. Sadly, that is not always guaranteed. Sometimes your family (mom, dad, siblings, etc..) won't pull through for you and that's when you realize, as you get older, that your parents are flawed. That they are only human and they make mistakes. Some realize it sooner than later. You also find that when you used to agree with and always want them near you, you eventually start to drift away from them. This is a natural process whether if you had a great relationship with them or not. So I like his stories, not because I like sad depressing stories, but because it really reflects how life really is. I enjoy the realism of how the characters behave like real people and the situations the characters find themselves in. If you think about it, the last two stories are the least realistic of the others. (Even though the others characters are in highly unlikely situations.) I just find it not that realistic for a kid to see his dad's ghost. I find the other story of the kid interviewing his dad a bit too short as well as not really being able to connect with the character since he was a bit of a stinker. Other than that, this quick compilation was enjoyable.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm generally not a fan of short stories because I'm usually just getting to know the characters when suddenly it's over. However I am a fan of Avi's writing, so I stuck with this. It's kind of a mixed bag of stories that all feature fathers, grandfathers and sons. They are all kind of timeless stories, so you can't really tell when they are set, but each did a decent job of revealing some angle of father/son-ness that was satisfying, though sometimes predictable.

[Gabrielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fast paced, cute, and to the point in an engaging manner. Seven chapters, seven stories, seven different father figures... Powerful teen experience/POV?

Chapters 3, 4, 5, 7, top favourites... Each chapter dives into different characters and their father son relationship. Each happy, sad, and heart warming/gutting in their own way. I belive the strongest message I got from these stories is that whether you have a  kind or hurtful father figure, a child can and will be big hearted. As long they are emotionally strong individuals and have people to love them (even if father is tough or non-existent), kids will be happy.

"You are my dream cather and guess what — you work!"

"I'll be home early..... He never got here"

[Eli · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a good 5 star book. It is full of short stories about far distance relationships, close relationships, mourning relatives and even gaining a step father. The boys, fathers and grandfathers go through meeting a relative and spending a week with them, getting beat up by a gang and your father not care for you but instead be disappointed in you or losing your father and releasing his ashes in the pond you and you're father loved to camp near. These stories are for you to be great full of what you have.

[Amy Calkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was unsatisfying on many levels. The most important thing? What was that. Show up? Take an interest in your son? The short stories were mostly sad. I don’t think any of the fathers or grandfathers were particularly interesting or intriguing. Other than tighty-whities or boxers I didn’t think any of the men were people I would want to spend more than 5 minutes with, and even that man was pretty shallow. Thinking about marriage without really thinking? Well, I guess that rings true for most people but what a shame.

[Amanda Harrison · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this in a review and can't get it out of my mind--these stories feel like something that was sitting unfinished in a dresser or filing cabinet and just recently compiled into this book. They just don't --on the whole --feel fresh. Not one of Avi's best.

Also, these are mostly depressing. The final story attempts to give a lighthearted ending, but yeah. Does fatherhood have to be this bleak?

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a father, the title of this collection was very alluring. I listened with close attention for secrets on "The Most Important Thing". Yes, all the stories in this collection dealt with relationships among sons, fathers, and grandfathers. Yes, the author did have some morals to share. But no, I did not feel he lived up to his grand title.

[Miffy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some stories are more successfully executed than others, but overall, this is an insightful collection of stories about male family relationships. Covering a wide range of scenarios, Avi explores the dynamics of the successful and not-so-successful interactions in everyday life. Some are poignant, some are infuriating, and all feel authentic.
Recommended for middle-school readers - Yr 5-9.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a bunch of short stories about fathers, sons, and grandfathers, but almost all of them are dysfunctional and depressing, and the one where they have a decent relationship the father dies, so it's also depressing.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a sweet collection of short stories. Many of them are a bit sad or show a father/grandfather failing in some way, but the collection as a whole didn’t leave me feeling too gloomy. The last two stories were by far my favorite—one really emotional, one both funny and sweet.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I expected to be moved more by these stories. There were parts of it I enjoyed, but overall I didn't get a greater sense of the importance and power of the father/son bond that I was looking for.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too much of a downer for my tastes

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I put together an author study for Sandy's 5th grade class for November. The first and last stories in this collection were awesome, ones in the middle were okay.

[Max · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good, great stories.

[Olivia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought the book was ok, but I got lost a little bit lost during the book so it made it harder to read. That just might be me I tend to get lost and confused a lot when I read .

[Kameron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book I highly recommend that sons and father's both read this book,

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would guess I enjoyed probably half of the stories told. A lot of them ended abruptly and I’m not sure I understood the point.

[Luz · Rating 4 out of 5]

seven short stories exploring the complicated emotions experienced by boys and their dads

[Nurul Almira · Rating 3 out of 5]

this book was xoxo. it contains of 7 short stories, only 3 stories was memorable. and the others are easy to forget

[Zoe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heard Avi is a good author and picked up this book of his. Interesting idea and writing style

[Dawn Moews · Rating 1 out of 5]

OK, I have always liked Avi's works. When I saw the title of this book, I read it with the idea that I would purchase it for my 33 year old son so that he could read it with his 2 sons. By the time I finished reading the second story, I knew I would not be purchasing my own family copy.

I get it--a very effective way to determine what is important in a relationship is to examine relationships with that element missing. But I expect the stories to lead to the conclusion about something as significant as "The Most Important Thing" is that there should be some kind of build from those relationships which are not complete to those which are or at least which have a hope of becoming complete. I found these stories to be depressing and not something I would give to anyone else to read.

We all know lots of boys who are growing up without their fathers being present or active in their lives. That is a very sad fact of life for far too many boys today. This book could lead you to believe it will never get better. I read all the stories and found only one that I could truly say I enjoyed: "Tighty-Whities or Boxers."

Quite frankly, by the time I had read the 3rd story in the book, I had started to wonder if these were story notes that never went anywhere. Each one made me think of a different novel plot outline that never developed. They did all deal with boys and their fathers or grandfathers, and I suspect that's why they wound up in this collection. But frankly, the only one of these that I would enjoy seeing developed into a novel is the story referenced in the previous paragraph.

In terms of pluses--like all of Avi's books, it is a fast read. However, I am sorry; as much as I like Avi, I can't really recommend this book to anyone.

(18-19: 1, 1, 1)

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
I was hoping for some heartfelt moments within these stories, some ahh moments that would leave smiling as these stories capture the relationship between sons and their fathers/grandfathers. After reading all seven short stories, about half of them were what I expected and the other half were something totally different. There is something about Avi stories that I love and this has always been the case since I started reading them to my son. My son is in college now but I remember reading Avi’s stories to him at night and on family vacations. I don’t know who liked him better I still feel vigorous when I hold one of his novels in my hands, as his words zip me off into another world.

I was surprised at the variety of stories contained within this novel. They all centered upon sons and their fathers and/or grandfathers but the storylines were all very different. These are not deep stories but stories that make you think. I really enjoyed three of the stories.
• My favorite was Tighy Whites or Boxers. In this story, a mother has found a new husband and she wants to make sure that her son Ryan will be fine with the new arrangement. Ryan decides that this new person should have to go through an interview process to get the job as his new father. This is a delightful story as Ryan has the gentleman do a complete interview with references, resume and a one-on-one interview with pages of specific questions. Will he be hired or will his mother need to find another boyfriend?
• In Going Home, I enjoyed this story as it dealt with a boy who felt that his life would have better had he been given a choice when his parents got divorced. Residing with his mother, he wants to go live with his father and he fights his mother on this issue. He decides to make his own decision and live with his father. Acting on his decision, he realizes that perhaps the choice that was made for him was the best. The emotions that were inside this story were superb and the energy coming off the characters were outstanding. As he saw his life, I was heartbroken for him and I wondered what he was going to do next. This was a great story.
• Dream Catcher was a story about a grandson who spent a week with a grandfather who he didn’t know. Paul knew that his father didn’t like the man so why did he have to spend the week with him? I really enjoyed this story. Paul is out of his element and without noise, he is listening. I liked how Roads was in his element with Paul and he was able to open up with him. At the end of the week, they are both different individuals.
• Beat Up was a great story and I really saw wonderful things happening with it but the ending was not as I expected. The father and son saw differently on why the son did not fight back after being beat up by a gang of boys. They choose then to just not deal with the issue until the day dad asked others in the community for help. Why is it so hard to communicate? I could see why Avi choose the ending he did for it but it ended too abruptly for me.
• In Departed, this was a sad story with a supernatural element to it. Father and son were planning a camping a trip but an accident stops the trip from happening. I could tell where the story was headed immediately and the ending brought closure to the characters. It was not a frightening tale but showed a loving, tender relationship. Ok story
• The story Kitchen Table was okay as it showed determination and dedication as Billy tries to find his bike. I didn’t care for the ending and I didn’t understand how it related to the title of the story either.
• In The Amalfi Duo,I laughed while reading this one. The grandfather and his facts were humorous to me. Grandfather was like a walking encyclopedia and he would tell his grandson bits and pieces of information as they talked. It bothered his grandson that grandfather would tell him all this information when he really didn’t care. Grandfather would brag about how smart he was and I thought this was strange. When the two of them decide to take instrument lessons together, it becomes a competition. It was supposed to be a duo but it’s not working out that way.

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This anthology included such a wide range of stories..all about good dads, bad dads, absent dads, and even new dads. Honestly, my favorite story was one about a young man whose father had passed a way a few years earlier. His mother had begun dating men and approaches her son about marrying someone new. The boy is fine with this idea--on one condition. That he gets to treat the open position of being his dad like a job. He asks for an application, recommendations, and even interviews the candidate before trying to decide whether he will be a good enough dad for himself. It's such a fun playful story!

I love that it has all different stories about different types of parents, good and bad! Because not all teens have the same experience with loving, good parents in their home. There is a wide variety of representation in this anthology.