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INTERMEDIATE FICTION
Springstubb, Tricia

The Most Perfect Thing in the Universe

192 pp. | Holiday/Ferguson | June, 2021 | Trade ISBN 978-0-8234-4757-2 $17.99 | Ebook ISBN 978-0-8234-5059-6 $10.99
(2) 4-6 Loah's widowed mother, Dr. Anastasia Londonderry, a world-renowned ornithologist specializing in birds of the Arctic tundra, is fearless and adventurous, attributes that are the polar opposite of those possessed by her daughter, a shy homebody. Dr. Londonderry's passion takes her to the Arctic for extended periods, and she depends on an elderly pair of siblings, the Rinkers, to take care of Loah and the house--a system that works well until it doesn't. The breakdown comes at the beginning of summer when Dr. Londonderry elects to stay in the Arctic, on her own. Her situation turns precarious; both Rinkers fall ill and are hospitalized; and the house, in a state of neglectful disrepair, is cited for numerous code violations. It's up to Loah to somehow save her mother, support the Rinkers, and deal with threatening visits from an unfriendly housing inspector--a series of challenges not included in her usual skillset. Spurred into action by a new friend who is as bold as Loah is timid, Loah finds the internal strength to meet these external forces. The authentic and compelling narrative sings with avian metaphors as Springstubb plays with language, crafting her story around the concept of an egg--"the most perfect thing in the universe"--an object that initially houses life but in time allows that life to emerge independently.
Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2021

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