The Most Perfect Thing in the Universe
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- $15.99
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- $15.99
Publisher Description
For fans of Shouting at the Rain by Lynda Mullaly and The Adventures of a Girl Called Bicycle by Christina Uss, a novel about one unadventurous girl who discovers she is anything but.
Eleven-year-old Loah Londonderry is definitely a homebody. While her mother, a noted ornithologist, works to save the endangered birds of the shrinking Arctic tundra, Loah anxiously counts the days till her return home. But then, to Loah's surprise and dismay, Dr. Londonderry decides to set off on a perilous solo quest to find the Loah bird, long believed extinct. Does her mother care more deeply about Loah the bird than Loah her daughter?
Things get worse yet when Loah's elderly caretakers fall ill and she finds herself all alone except for her friend Ellis. Ellis has big problems of her own, but she believes in Loah. She's certain Loah has strengths that are hidden yet wonderful, like the golden feather tucked away on her namesake bird's wing. When Dr. Londonderry's expedition goes terribly wrong, Loah needs to discover for herself whether she has the courage and heart to find help for her mother, lost at the top of the world.
Beautifully written, The Most Perfect Thing in the Universe is about expeditions big and small, about creatures who defy gravity and those of us who are bound by it.
A Mighty Girl Best Book of the Year
A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Eleven-year-old homebody Loah Londonderry, who enjoys knitting and loves the family's rickety old home, is the opposite of her single mother, a dedicated ornithologist who's away in the Arctic longer than planned, risking her life to save her daughter's namesake, the nearly extinct loah bird. Left in the care of elderly siblings, gentle Theo and tough Miss Rinker, Loah is overwhelmed by problems: Theo, falling ill, has to be hospitalized; a city home inspector keeps coming around, demanding repairs be made to Loah's beloved house in the woods; and her new friend Ellis wants to run away. Loah keeps her worries inside until an incident forces her to step outside her comfort zone, seeking aid and protecting what's dear. Through metaphor and imagery, Springstubb's (Every Single Second) tender, sensitively written story captures the essences of places and characters, including frequently dismayed, brave Loah. In addition to offering unique personalities across the cued-white cast and a lesson about global warming, the book provides a host of facts about birds. Ages 9–12.