This book surprised me. I had stayed away from reviewing and reading because at its core, it's a book about grief and I didn't want to dive into a book like that at the time. But I've been on a middle-grade kick and the book called to me. I'm so glad I read it. The story is much more than an novel about grief. It's about friendship and perseverance, courage and found family. I will definitely be recommending to the readers in my life, but especially the young readers.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

When Christina Li reached out to me about her debut novel, I knew it was going to be a great read. A middle grade book about friendship and space is a perfect match for me. But this book far exceeded my expectations.

Clues to the Universe follows Ro and Benji, two middle grade students who team up to build a rocket for the science fair. They also work together to find Benji’s dad, who left years before. It’s a story about friendship, space exploration and finding yourself.

I really love Ro and Benji because of their determination, loyalty and genuine personalities. Ro is struggling with the death of her father while Benji is struggling with his father’s absence. They form a strong friendship because of this and their shared love for space exploration.

I just absolutely love their dynamic with each other and the way their friendship grows throughout the book. These characters will tug at your heartstrings, make you smile all while giving you heart-wrenching moments.

The plot of Clues to the Universe is just as great. While there are moments of grief, there are also so many moments to cherish. I love that these characters grow as people because of their work on their rocket. And it’s so wonderful to root for them from start to finish.

One of my favourite things about this book is the exploration of grief. It’s real and genuine and is certain to bring out strong emotions in the reader. But it’s the perfect mix of heartfelt moments as well as teaching moments that will be perfect for middle grade readers.

Overall, Clues to the Universe is a fantastic debut novel. It’s a charming and beautiful story with wonderful writing. I highly recommend reading this book and will certainly recommend this book to middle grade readers I know.

Clues to the Universe by Christina Li is a wonderful book that tugs at your heart. With middle grade students, this book will definitely help them find themes of grief, friendship, family and STEAM. The amount of emotion that Li portrays throughout this story is perfect for this age group. I cannot wait to put this in my teacher's classrooms.

Wonderful story that I am sure many children will be able to relate to. May even offer them some consolation. It's a bit of a slow read, but I really don;t think middle school children will mind. It's a realistic story of two students who are paired up during science, who bond as friends. One is a child of divorce who doesn't really know his dad and the other's father has passed away. They both share their struggles over their loses. Heartrending story, well written.

Clues to the Universe is a heart wrenching story that takes place in the 1980s. It showcases a beautiful friendship between Ro, a biracial Chinese American girl and Benji a white boy. Ro dreams of being a rocket scientist and Benji has his head full of dreams which he loves to put in his drawings. They have a genuine friendship that has all the love and drama you would expect of two 12 year olds. This is a captivating coming of age book that explores grief and friendship.

The friendship in this book was very special. I liked it but it is one that the slower start may keep many kids from finishing the story unless it is used as a read aloud.

Christina Li’s debut novel was a wonderful warm hug, and I had so much fun watching the friendship between Ro and Benji come to fruition. Clues to the Universe was one of my most highly anticipated reads of 2021, and it did not disappoint. From touching family moments to beautiful instances of friendship, this book consistently made me smile.

Clues to the Universe follows Ro, a biracial half-Chinese and half-white, girl who transfers to a new school following the death of her father. As an avid science nerd, she hopes to build a rocket to commemorate her loving memories with her father. Benji, an aspiring artist and comic-book lover, grew up reading comics written by his father who had left his family when he was young.

As someone who grew up in a single-parent household, I loved Christina’s exploration of family relationships. Through Ro, we unpack how to deal with grief as a young child. Similarly, through Benji, we see how a child’s life is impacted by divorced parents. Ro and Benji lean on each other for support, and their friendship allows them to tackle these tough topics they previously avoided.

Ro and Benji also bring a unique perspective to the duality and parallelism of STEM and art, and I loved seeing how they encouraged each other to pursue their passions. I also loved how Christina Li dives into the complexity of friendships, specifically how they grow and change over time.

All in all, Clues to the Universe did not disappoint, and I cannot wait for Christina Li’s next novel! This is the perfect book for anyone, regardless of age, as its themes and messages are ones we can all understand.

This is a lovely story of resilience and friendship. Two kids bond over the loss of their fathers. As they work together on their science project, building a rocket, they find common ground in standing up to bullies, accepting their own faults, and the importance of dreaming and creativity. I loved Ro and Benji so much. A perfect middle grade read.

This is a fun middle grade read told in alternating points of view. Ro and Benji are each struggling in their own way to adjust to school and their family situation. After a seating fluke in science makes them partners, they forge a close and needed friendship as they work to locate Benji's father and build Ro's rocket. Readers can't help but root for these two to succeed.

The choice of time period for this one intrigues me. I'm not certain that setting it in the 80s is really necessary. Some of their investigation would be simpler in the modern era but much of it would be unchanged. The main difference is the focus on the space program, something that was still quite active at that point. Setting aside, this is a pretty compelling read. We're contrasting the dead parent with an absent one. Kids trying to fill voids in their lives and their mothers trying to cover for the absences.

Our full review of Clues to the Universe can be found on our blog: https://loveyoshelf.com/review-clues-to-the-universe-by-christina-li/

My full review can be read here: https://twincitiesgeek.com/2021/01/clues-to-the-universe-is-down-to-earth-in-characters-and-theme/

Set in the 80’s and told in the two different perspectives of middle graders, Ro and Benji, as their stories align with each other’s. An #ownvoices debut novel about loss, friendship, resilience and healing, Ro and Benji are an unlikely pair but come to find out they are just what the other one needs.
Enjoyed the diverse characters, references to girls in STEM, comics, drawing comics (also includes death of a parent, divorce, and bullying)

Benji and Ro become unexpected science partners, allies, and friends in this touching story of the power of friendship, managing grief, and overcoming bullies.

Here's the thing about the universe: sometimes it doesn't tell you all its secrets at once.

Loved this quote from Christina Li's debut novel. As a child of the 80s, reading a book set in 1983 gave me all the nostaglic feels from my youth. Walkmans, YellowPages and the cost of long-distance phone calls were all things that slipped my mind in the past 35 years. It was fun to see them in print for my students of today. It will be fun to have some discussions with them as they get a chance to read this fantastic debut.

As with many relationships in real life, Ro and Benji become friends by coincidence. As they get to know each other, they realize their quirky personalities - although different on the surface - actually have quite a bit in common. A fast friendship is formed based on comic books, rocket science and absent fathers. As each chapter is told in alternating points of view, we get to know each of them. You will root for their friendship - and wish for a sequel.

Thanks to the author, Harper Collins and Netgalley for an early copy to review.

Two characters seeking to find their place in the world, and find that all is easier with friends. Kids will enjoy the story of Ro and Benji and their journey to help each other build a rocket and find Benji's father.

Clues to the Universe is a slice of life novel about two seventh graders. While it deals with multiple aspects of growing up, including bullying and making new friends, it is grounded in dealing with loss. Ro and Benji are individually trying to overcome their feelings about not having their dads around, neither realizing that maybe what they need is a peer for support along the way. A mix-up in class forces Ro and Benji to talk and become science partners, making a deal that Ro will help Benji find his dad while Benji agrees to help Ro with her rocket. Slowly, the relationship becomes more than something obligatory; it blossoms into a friendship.

While they are somewhat opposites of each other, Ro and Benji fit together well because sometimes it's the differences between us that will motivate us to grow, to become better versions of ourselves. It's this aspect of the book that I enjoyed the most, seeing the changes in both Ro and Benji as they started spending more time together. Li's ability to tease out their developing friendship, anchoring each's perception of their relationship through the things they love or enjoy--Benjamin's through drawing and comics and Ro's through science and the scientific method--was another aspect of the book I enjoyed.

This is a story about two lonely individuals who didn't realize how much they needed support and understanding from someone with similar experiences and unexpectedly found that in each other. Individuals who have experienced any kind of loss, not just that of a parent, will be able to relate to the heartbreak and yearning as well as to asking questions that don't necessarily really have answers.

(3.5 stars rounded to 4)

What is a great friendship book for elementary and middle school kids?
Clues to the Universe by Christina Li is!
What is true friendship?
Is it only doing what you want to do and not considering the other person’s feelings? Is it being there for your best friend when they are hurting, even if you are hurting yourself?

Ro and Benji are two of the unlikeliest friends in the universe. Ro is a science nerd and Benji is an artist/comic book nerd. Benji and Ro sit next to each other in science class on the first day of school. They accidentally swap folders and this is how they formed an alliance. Ro’s folder was filled with math and diagrams on building her rocket. Benji’s folder was full of his drawings and his favorite comic book, Spacebound.

The alliance!
The alliance begins when Benji helps Ro build her rocket for the science fair, plus if Benji does good in Science then maybe his mom won’t make him drop Art. In exchange, Ro is going to help Benji find the dad that ran out on him, his mom, and his brother nine years ago.

The friendship!
The friendship begins when they learn each other secrets. Ro is building the rocket that she and her father began building before he was tragically killed in a car wreck. She feels that if she can launch this rocket into outer space then she can somehow magically reach him. Benji realizes that his long lost dad is the creator of his favorite comic books and he thinks that he is leaving secret message to Benji on how to find him

Their friendship takes a punch when two major things happen: 1) the school bully ruins their science fair project and Benji doesn’t do anything about it and 2) Ro pushes Benji too hard to find his dad and Benji snaps at her.

Can their friendship recover from this fight?
Can they forgive each other for the mean things they have said to each other? And then Benji goes missing. Will Ro be able to find him before something bad happens?

Do not miss this incredible story of friendship, loyalty, and family issues that seem too big to overcome.

Why I love this book!
This book will grab you from the first page! The heartbreak of a father who has been tragically taken from you plus losing your best friend and feeling all alone hits you right out of the gate. I believe the loneliness of these two characters is what attracts them to each other. To watch these two grow close enough to each other to share their secret hopes and fears is touching. You will fall in love with these two characters and root them on every step of the way!

Don’t miss this one!

A heartwarming story told in alternating points-of-view between Ro & Benji, two middle school students in the 1980s who develop an accidental friendship. Ro, an aspiring rocket scientist & Benji, an aspiring artist are both suffering from losing their fathers, but form an unlikely friendship and learn about themselves as they form a bond through comics and a rocket-building science project.

Thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC for this story.