Saturday, May 11, 2013

Book Review: Under the Universe


In the first book of the Skymasters series, (Galaxy Girl), preteen Allie Henderson discovers an intergalactic visitor named Eilla, who looks just like her. She is Allie's galactic cousin from a parallel universe. In the second book, Under the Universe, things get even more interesting. It has been a year since Eilla returned to her parallel universe and Allie is eager for an adventure of her own. She gets just such an opportunity when the MIT science team tells her they are ready to transport her to Eilla's planet. Allie must then chose between the safety of the known and the potential adventure another universe. Allie and Eilla visit Stonehenge and discover a subterranean world in which nothing appears as it does on the surface. There, they meet a pair of hermit crabs who clue them into some of the secrets of the universe.

There is much to charm the young reader in this book, including enchanting illustrations. Although this is the second book in a series, the story can stand alone. This is an adventure of inner and outer exploration as the author highlights the thirst for knowledge in this age group, and the cousins absorb facts like sponges. There is just enough space ‘stuff’ and quantum physics for kids to make it fun and adventurous rather than boring. But the adventure is
not just about time travel. In both worlds, the girls have a disabled sibling, and author Dr. Karen Hutchins Pirnot handles this with tact and sensitivity. I enjoyed the empathy between the cousins. Allie goes on a learning curve as she discovers the differences between her world and her cousin’s with snippets of geography, history, science, economics and social change, and astronomy filtering through. The author has popped some famous modern and historical names into the mix, with amusing characters that give their own opinion of life. There’s a nice blend of facts, fantasy, and legend (Atlantis and Mu). The story ends with clearly more investigation planned and a hint of danger. My only criticism is there is perhaps too much information for this age group to absorb. 4 stars

First reviewed for Readers Favorite

(Please note that I downloaded this to the Amazon Kindle on my computer and had problems with the formatting. This may have been corrected by now)

by Fiona Ingram

6 comments:

Suzy, The Grey Brunette said...

Hi there! I'm just popping over from the Kid Lit Blog Hop! Great to 'meet' you :)
Suzy Turner, YA Author

Susan Case said...

Great blog and post you have. I'm following you from the Kid Lit Blog Hop. Great giveaways!

Fiona Ingram said...

Hi Suzy, thanks for the visit. Glad to meet you.

Renee C. said...

I love the concept of a parallel world where we have "twins". It's rather mind-bending, isn't it? This book sounds great - thanks so much for sharing it in the Kid Lit Blog Hop.

Fiona Ingram said...

I think young readers will enjoy the stories from both sides since the first book deals with Eilla's visit to earth.

Jambo said...

I absolutely love the premise of this one Fiona, thanks so much for linking it in to the Kid Lit Blog Hop. I love the cover too. Better put it on the to read list. Cheers Julie Grasso