At the Edge of the Universe
By:
Share the heartbreaking story of a boy who believes the universe is slowly shrinking as things he remembers are being erased from others' memories.
ISBN: 9781481449663
JLG Release: Apr 2017
Sensitive Areas:
Language: Strong Language, Drugs/Alcohol/Tobacco: Drug Use/Abuse, Drugs/Alcohol/Tobacco: Alcohol Abuse, Violence: Strong Violence
Topics:
Applying to college
, Homosexuality
, Romantic relationships
Awards & Honors
Rainbow List Choice - 2018
Parents’ Choice Award Winner, Fiction, Gold
Chicago Public Library Best Books of 2017, Teen Fiction
Praise & Reviews
Starred or favorable reviews have been received from these periodicals:
Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, Publishers Weekly*, School Library Journal, Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA)
School Library Journal
Oswald “Ozzie” Pinkerton is facing a gauntlet of problems: his parents are divorcing; his older brother is skipping college to join the military, and Ozzie is afraid he’ll be killed; and Ozzie’s boyfriend since eighth grade, Tommy, has vanished. To make matters worse, everyone in the town of Cloud Lake seems to have erased T Oswald “Ozzie” Pinkerton is facing a gauntlet of problems: his parents are divorcing; his older brother is skipping college to join the military, and Ozzie is afraid he’ll be killed; and Ozzie’s boyfriend since eighth grade, Tommy, has vanished. To make matters worse, everyone in the town of Cloud Lake seems to have erased Tommy from their memories, even Ozzie and Tommy’s best friends, gender-fluid punk rocker Lua and quiet valedictorian Dustin. Also, the universe is shrinking, and Ozzie appears to be the only person who realizes it. Ozzie has no idea how to function without Tommy, but when he’s paired with solitary Calvin for a physics project and Calvin mentions Tommy’s name, Ozzie begins to hope that Tommy is still out there. Hutchinson follows up We Are the Ants with a deep and introspective novel full of angst and suffering. Readers will feel Ozzie’s nearly radiant pain, but Universe isn’t singularly focused. All of the characters are neatly fleshed out and have their own personal anguish: Lua deals with being gender-fluid in a small town; Dustin, whose father loses the family fortune, has to confront a future where his dreams cannot be attained; and Ozzie’s trials serve as a lens through which readers can examine the scope of human experience in this (shrinking) universe. VERDICT A closing revelation may frustrate some, but this smartly written, profound look at the wells of human despair will stay with readers. Recommended for all YA collections where Hutchinson’s work circulates heavily.—Tyler Hixson, School Library Journal
Book Details
ISBN
9781481449663
First Release
April 2017
Genre
Fic
Dewey Classification
F
Trim Size
8 1/4" x 5 1/2"
Page Count
496
Accelerated Reader
Level 5.2; Points: 15;
Scholastic Reading Counts
Level 6.2; Points: 23;
Lexile
N/AFormat
Print Book
Edition
Hardcover edition
Publisher
Simon Pulse
Potentially Sensitive Areas
Language: Strong Language, Drugs/Alcohol/Tobacco: Drug Use/Abuse, Drugs/Alcohol/Tobacco: Alcohol Abuse, Violence: Strong Violence
Topics
Applying to college, Homosexuality, Romantic relationships,
