Shortlisted for Guardian First Book Award 2009.

Here is a book that does the impossible: it combines Mark Twain, Thomas Pynchon, and Little Miss Sunshine. Good novels entertain; great ones come as a gift to the readers who are lucky enough to find them. This book is a treasure Stephen King Larson has made an impressive mark ... spectacularly funny Sunday Times Reif Larsen's wonderful original debut, destined to please readers of all ages, is the Next Big Thing... echoes of Thomas Pynchon, Robert Coover and Nicholson Baker... a lively sophisticated narrative that looks to The Adventures of Huckleberry FinnIrish Times A wilfully original and diverting book ... you can see exactly why it caused publishers to sit up. It is charming and kooky Observer Think Tom Sawyer with a passion for empirical science... one of the most original books of the year Metro Fantastical, funny and delightfully original Esquire Impossible to put down. Engagingly poignant and charmingly quirky ... Larsen is an accomplished writer, but he's also a hugely gifted illustrator ... It's a genius debut. Daily Mail Reif Larson's debut novel combines meticulous eccentricity with an amazingly broad appeal ... the book is a thing of beauty in itself... TS's voice - and scientific pencil - enchant the reader ... TS's journey - towards forgiveness, understanding, adulthood, love - is a familiar one, but the views are spectacular. Guardian We believe in Spivet because Larsen gives us so much that is elegant and even pretty to look at. The book is beautifully produced with drawings and maps, yet the account of the train journey in this attractively naive voice would be admirable even if it were not framed and accompanied by sketches TLS It has the makings of a cult classic...a deliciously ambitious book, a confident blast of ideas - and a beautiful object Time Out

Reif Larsen studied at Brown University and has taught at Columbia University, where he received his MFA in fiction. He is also a filmmaker and has made documentaries in the United States, United Kingdom and sub-Saharan Africa. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.