Clues to the Universe [Paperback]

This stellar debut by APALA Award–winning author Christina Li about losing and finding family, forging unlikely friendships, and searching for answers to big questions will resonate with fans of Erin Entrada Kelly and Rebecca Stead.

The only thing Rosalind Ling Geraghty loves more than watching NASA launches with her dad is building rockets with him. When he dies unexpectedly, all Ro has left of him is an unfinished model rocket they had been working on together.

Benjamin Burns doesn’t like science, but he can’t get enough ofSpacebound, a popular comic book series. When he finds a sketch that suggests that his dad created the comics, he’s thrilled. Too bad his dad walked out years ago, and Benji has no way to contact him.

Though Ro and Benji were only supposed to be science class partners, the pair become unlikely friends, and Ro even figures out a way to reunite Benji and his dad. But Benji hesitates, which infuriates Ro. Doesn’t he realize how much Ro wishes she could be in his place?

As the two face bullying, grief, and their own differences, Benji and Ro try to piece together clues to some of the biggest questions in the universe.

AWashington PostKidsPost Summer Book Club selection * A Junior Library Guild Selection * A Bank Street Best Book of the Year

It’s impossible not to root for Ro and Benji as they discover the fun of imperfection, the wisdom that comes with failure, and the joy to be found in unexpected friendships. -Booklist

“Alternating first-person chapters provide insight into each character’s fears, worries, and hopes, creating two compelling, relatable protagonists who recognize the strengths in their differences and help each other forge new paths forward.” -Publishers Weekly

An achingly beautiful and thoughtfully written debut that will find its way into the hl³‘