Dear Universe
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
A wildly witty and deeply profound chronicle of teenage anxiety and yearning, perfect for fans of Jesse Andrews and Robyn Schneider.
It's senior year, and Chamomile Myles has whiplash from traveling between her two universes: school (the relentless countdown to prom, torturous college applications, and the mindless march toward an uncertain future) and home, where she wrestles a slow, bitter battle with her father's terminal illness. Enter Brendan, a man-bun-and tutu-wearing hospital volunteer with a penchant for absurdity, who strides boldly between her worlds--and helps her open up a new road between them.
Dear Universe is the dazzling follow-up to Florence Gonsalves's debut, Love and Other Carnivorous Plants, hailed by School Library Journal as "a must-have sharp, powerful, and witty immersion into the complexities of . . . mental health."
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
High school senior Chamomile Myles splits herself between two worlds: in one, she's a mediocre student in Massachusetts, just measuring time by the days until prom. In the other, she and her mother go along with her father's denial about the Parkinson's diagnosis he received two years ago, despite his ever-increasing need for care. Cham is terrified of what might happen should her two worlds touch, which is what occurs when her classmate Brendan shows up at her house as a hospital "volun-cheer." Though Brendan's presence initially unsettles Cham, his kindness and empathy, along with the way he acts as he pleases with insouciance wearing a tutu to school, for example eventually become a comfort. As her father's condition worsens, and Cham's attempts to compartmentalize her life cause upheaval in her social life, she learns both to lean on Brendan and that she has more support available than she ever expected. Gonsalves (Love & Other Carnivorous Plants) crafts an authentic read for teens trying to create normalcy at school while struggling with issues in their personal lives. Ages 14 up.
