The Infinite Lives of Maisie Day, by Christopher Edge

A new book to the library this year, and one I've been wanting to read, but also hearing mixed or mediocre reviews from students who are checking this out, so I've been hesitant. What to expect?!? A short book, and I don't know if I have anything to compare this to...perhaps the best comparison would be too one of Edge's other two books, but I have not yet read either of them...yet.

The Infinite Lives tells the story - well, two stories, really - of ten-year-old Maisie Day, who, in alternating chapters, is living a normal kid's life with her mom and dad and sister, and in the other chapters is being swallowed up by the vastness and blackness of the universe. As in; the Big Bang Theory, atoms and protons and neurons (and electrons), Einstein, the source and direction of everything ever from a science viewpoint...very interesting, very different as far as teen and YA book subjects go, and...not bad. Edge weaves these alternating chapters and versions of Maisie's life pretty well, with a plot twist at the end that I promise you will not see coming! Mixed in with it all is a lot of scientific theory and explanation. The author does it in a fairly smooth way, but I'm not sure how incredibly smoothly anyone could work in the Big Bang Theory without coming across as dry or instructional. Edge does as well as anyone, probably, but there are still times where I felt like I should stop and watch the Bill Nye video on the universe for additional background information.

Good enough for me to want to read at least one other of his books, but not so good I could give it all 4 (or 5) paws. If you love science, you will enjoy this more than most! And that plot twist...wow!
3 paws (and an extra tail wag for doing something new in kid lit!).