Content levels
Trigger warnings
Hero archetypes
Protagonist archetypes
Themes
Synopsis
A heart too big for this world. A life that changes everyone. "Life, and Death, and Giants is an intriguing and alluring novel from beginning to end. The events are startling, sad, amusing, invigorating, and informative. Reading it is like meeting a family that you never knew existed and becoming close friends in a few weeks. Highly recommended." --Jane Smiley, author of Lucky and A Thousand Acres Gabriel Fisher was born an orphan, weighing eighteen pounds and measuring twenty-seven inches long. No one in Lakota, Wisconsin, knows what to make of him. He walks at eight months, communicates with animals, and seems to possess extraordinary athletic talent. But when the older brother who has been caring for him dies, Gabriel is taken in by his devout Amish grandparents who disapprove of all the attention and hide him away from the English world. But it’s hard to hide forever when you’re nearly eight feet tall. At seventeen, Gabriel is spotted working in a hay field by the local football coach. What happens next transforms not only Gabriel’s life but the lives of everyone he meets. Life, and Death, and Giants is a moving story of faith, family, buried secrets, and everyday miracles.
Is Life, and Death, and Giants appropriate for my child?
Suitable for most readers 13 and up.
This moving literary novel deals with themes of loss, faith, and finding belonging. Mild peril from death of a guardian early in the story, but focuses on hope and community rather than violence or mature content.
What to know going in
This book has mild violence, no sexual content, and clean language. Content notes include death, death of parent, and grief (see the full list above).
Publisher ages reflect reading level; our rating reflects content maturity — they can differ.
Who'll love this
Teens will connect with Gabriel's journey of self-discovery as an outsider trying to find his place in a world that doesn't understand him.