by Wendy Mass
Amazon rating: 4.6/5.0, grades 3-7
Good Reads: 3.91/5
Common Sense Media: not reviewed
4Rbooks: 4/6, Grades 5+
Synopsis:
Joss lives in The Realms and is the seventh son of the Supreme Overlord of the Universe. In this unknowable and seemingly unreachable area of space, beyond time and comprehension, he leads a quiet life, mostly hanging out and having fun with his best friend Kal. He doesn’t think there is much value to his life since his only job is to deliver pies that his Aunt Rae makes every day.
Suddenly the earth and its solar system vanished, taken out of existence by his father and the Powers That Be. Kal and his parents disappear, too, and Joss finds himself tasked with caring for the only human survivor, a 12-year-old girl named Annika, and with bringing his friend, his friend’s parents, the earth and the solar system back, recreating them from the beginning and bringing them back to where everything was before it all vanished.
Struggling with doubt, uncertainty, lack of confidence, and his new friend Annika, Joss discovers that he is stronger and more valuable than he ever imagined.
Parental Guidance: low
There is nothing I found in this book that makes it an inappropriate or
awkward read for children.
Recommendation:
This is a science fiction story and will appeal to children that are fascinated by the universe. The author did an impressive amount of research to make the science accurate and child friendly, for science interested children. The story lags a couple of times, but overall flows decently and has some surprise twists and turns throughout. The relationships that Joss has with his brothers, Kal, and Annika are relatable. Especially fun is how Joss, the immortal boy, tries to understand Annika, an almost teen earth girl.
One note of caution. The premise of The Realms is that there is a group of immortals who control the universe and all the scientific interactions within. There is also a section of The Realms called the Afterlives, a science fiction version of heaven. Christian parents will want to reference the Biblical story of creation, the Biblical principle of who God is, and what Heaven is as a counterpoint to the elements presented in this story.
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