When Willow Farrington first meets Isaac Silberstein she doesn't know what to expect. He's a gnome-like old man who survived a World War II concentration camp, and she's an almost-14-year-old who is just back at school after a four-month stay in hospital with an eating disorder. He has written a recipe and gardening book, and she has to do a talk on it for school. Birthdays, custard, book reports, gardens, families, friendship and fun all combine in this contemporary, witty and moving book. A fresh and uplifting novel based on a true story.