Reviews

Clues to the Universe by Christina Li

hezher's review

4.0

read for our school’s virtual bookclub - very very sweet!

miszjeanie's review

4.0

Clues to the Universe is a heartfelt middle grade debut about a sweet, unlikely friendship, STEM, the grief of losing a parent, and the joy of finding one. This book also features an art-loving protagonist and a heartwarming sense of community. Finally, the author addresses bullying realistically and sensitively. Overall, an excellent debut I would highly recommend.

Read my full review on my blog.

shksprsis's review

emotional hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

ssram28's review

5.0

This book took me back to my childhood, remembering my love for science and navigating friendships and moving to a new school. Just a very tender story and well-written!

andrearbooks's review

3.0

Clues to the Universe by Christina Li was another one of those middle grade books that had me all up in my feels. The story was about Ro who has tragically lost her father and remains connected to him/his memory through their shared love of rockets. Ro finds friendship with Ben, who has realized his estranged father is the creator of his favorite space-based comic. Ro and Ben join up as science fair partners, and they start to navigate their school/life together as friends. Part of this means working through bullying, and this is some tough stuff. They are both also grieving for their fathers in different ways. What I appreciated about this one was that the emotions were so real. It really explored each of their challenges, as well as the rocky road that middle school can bring. It didn't hold back on those feels, and it wasn't always happy, but also these characters found joy in their connection. Thanks to Quill Tree Books for the early look at this recent release!

arrr's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

Super cute, will recommend to my kid

storysapphic's review

emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

emily_charlotte's review

4.0

Finally had the chance to read this, yay! Clues to The Universe is a simple, sweet MG about friendship and space. There were a lot of tropes I'd seen done before, and some parts personally lacked believability, but I still enjoyed it, and finished it in one evening. It's exactly the type of book I would have gobbled up when I was in Middle School, full of banter and STEM and likeable characters.

dinibharadwaj's review against another edition

emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

5.0

A beautiful and nuanced exploration of grief, friendship, the father-child relationship and so much more, it definitely packs an emotional punch and I will admit that it made me cry several times.

babyskillet's review

adventurous emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the friendship that grew between Ro and Benji the whole story. I loved the way Benji and Ro slowly take on each others traits and how they love each other. So good.