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INTERMEDIATE FICTION
Smith, Sherri L.

Candace, the Universe, and Everything

336 pp. | Putnam | September, 2025 | Trade ISBN 9781524737931 $18.99 | Ebook ISBN 9781524737948 $10.99
(2) 4-6 Thirteen-year-old Candace has a lot to navigate. She is starting eighth grade, her besties are being weird, and, to make matters worse, a bird flies out of her locker. While cleaning up the mess the bird leaves behind, Candace finds a strange purple notebook on her locker shelf, and she eventually learns that her locker is a wormhole. This mysterious portal links her to two accomplished Black women who wrote in the notebook during their youth: Tracey, now a college professor in her forties; and Loretta, a quantum physicist who is now ninety-three. This speculative novel inventively blends a coming-of-age story with a cosmic adventure; it offers a unique exploration of Black girlhood and womanhood and of intergenerational relationships. Smith weaves together Candace's, Tracey's, and Loretta's stories, with flashbacks to the 1940s and the 1980s. The characters' interactions -- in person in the present day, and in writing between eras -- reveal how wisdom and curiosity flow in both directions. The shared, hands-on quest to understand the portal becomes a powerful example of scientific inquiry and collaboration. The narrative is a testament to the value of shared experience and knowledge, and the impact of Candace seeing herself reflected in the intelligent, accomplished women who have come before is profound. A compelling story of connectedness and the wonder of finding one's place in the universe.
Reviewer: Monique Harris | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2025

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