Chapters Sixteen through Eighteen Summary and Analysis

In February, long before Valentine's Day, Lori brings Valentine's hearts for everyone and insists that they all open them. For Boo, she's made a booklet with pictures. Boo opens it, points out a picture of a dog and says, very clearly, "doggie." Everyone is astounded and crowd around Boo as Thomaso takes the lead, gently forcing Boo to turn pages and correcting him when he doesn't correctly identify the object. Torey says that she's prepared for the inevitable moment when Boo reverts to the vacant looks and unresponsive talk, but Lori had been delighted that her gift had prompted the change and is sad when it doesn't last.

In chapter seventeen, Lori buys a gift for Thomaso's birthday. Torey is worried about the impact of a party but bakes a cake and decorates the room...