I like the premise of the story but the conclusion of the book when the moral of this story is laid out felt forced and like it was missing some of the magic the book touts as so important. Plus Cal, the main character is so unlikable. She grated on my nerves. Which, I know she is a kid dealing with trauma, but in the arc of the story she was never really redeemed for me.

The main characters don't have a ton of parental supervision because of life circumstances, and because of that they are enabled to make extremely unsafe decisions that could have easily killed them or gotten them seriously injured and they don't suffer any significant consequences. And for that matter, neither do the parents for allowing harmful situations. Therefore, I would not recommend this book to middle grade readers.
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This is a middle grade novel that deals with death of a parent, war and becoming refugees, parental cancer, an incarcerated parent, alcoholism, a car accident, and theft.

Thank you to Netgalley and FSG Young Readers for the ARC. I read it in conjunction with the library audiobook. All opinions are my own.

This is a well written book, but ultimately I just don't think it's a good fit for my student population.

Perfect for your middle schooler! My eleven year old daughter tore through this before even I could read it and immediately requested that we buy it. It held my attention from start to finish as the girls went on their adventure and the book is not even geared towards adults. A great book about the power of friendship and perseverance.

At first, I really struggled to get into this book. There's a lot going on in the main character, Cal's, life that was required for the reader to know at the beginning of the story. However, she's just a normal kid making some not so great decisions and I find that it's very far and few between that you get a character like that. This one pulled at the heart strings a bit more as I read it since her mom is facing cancer and her dad is an alcoholic. Overall, I think this book really shows kids that their voices matter while hitting heavy subjects at an appropriate level for kids.

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

I really liked this book. I will definitely be ordering it for my school library. I liked the main characters and the friendship that is formed when 2 completely different girls with different backgrounds and struggles can find common ground.
The family dynamics are real (although I still struggle when young early teens are so independent and seemingly left on their own in stories). The twists and turns along the way are well written and believable.
The townspeople are fun and quirky and help the girls in their own way.
I love how the mystery is resolved but left open to others interpretation at the same time.

I received this book for free for an honest review from netgalley #netgalley

Couldn't put this one down!

I was really looking forward to this one based on the plot summary, and it didn't disappoint. A worthy addition to any collection.

Ferruolo has managed to combine grief, sports, and a refuge story into a single cohesive story, even including hints of magic. And somehow it is still a simple story. There is surprisingly little action. It's primarily an emotional journey - anger and grief and our tendency to run away from hard things. Because of the relative simplicity, kids have plenty of room to contemplate the emotions involved. A solid choice for discussion.

I adore unique fiction, and this is such an interesting premise. I recommend because of the story itself, writing style, and its ability to transport you into a different world.

A great middle grade novel that has themes students can relate to. A definite add to a classroom library.

The heartache of Val’s life will feel familiar to anyone who has had a parent in jail or a family member with chronic illness. But I struggled to understand Cal herself, sometimes thinking she was very young for a middle grade character while other times forgetting that she was supposed to be just 12. Maybe it’s intentional, because of the way that some kids have to grow up all too fast but I struggled with it. I also appreciate that the author never skirted around the challenge of being lonely and alone in middle school.

In Each of Us a Universe, Jeanne Zulick Ferruolo gives us a story that will resonate with many kids. Cal’s mom is sick, her dad isn’t at home right now and she must find ways to handle all of this. An unexpected friendship helps Cal face up to all that is happening in her life. This middle grade novel provides realistic characters who are doing their best, even if some of their choices aren’t great. Kids will enjoy the adventures Cal goes on and root for Cal as she makes her way. Thank you to Netgalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for providing the eARC.

Each of Us a Universe is a heartwarming tale of family, friendship, and the power of finding peace within yourself.

Calliope (Cal) has a lot of pent-up anger that she’s not dealing with very well. Her mother has cancer, her father is in prison, and she doesn’t have any friends at school. The only time she feels peace is when she’s spending time on Mount Meteorite.

One day, a new girl named Rosine moves in a couple of houses away from Cal. Rosine is also drawn to the magic of the mountain and the two girls become friends. They make plans to summit the spire, to look for the meteorite that is rumored to have landed at the top years ago. They each have their own reasons for needing the magic from the mountain and are determined to find it.

This novel is perfect for upper elementary and middle school students. The message for children is to work through anger and hardships by not facing their fears alone. It also touches on the topics of cancer, alcoholism, having a parent in jail, death, and immigration.

Thank you to #NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of #EachofUsaUniverse by #JeanneZulickFerruolo in exchange for an honest review.

"Each of Us is a Universe" is a heartbreaking, warm, and beautifully-written book that follows two middle-grade girls _who are each dealing with life's heavy burdens and sorrows_ as they grow, bond, and connect while working together to climb a mountain.

Both of the characters are relatable - great characters to show readers that they're not alone. It is a wonderful, touching story that follows on various topics such as a family affected by cancer, the refugee experience, alcoholism, etc. Plus, you may or may not have magic!

I do recommend this book. I'll be honest, I don't know much about rock climbing, but I thought the details were interesting!

Thank you so much NetGalley, Jeanne Zulick Ferruolo, and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group ( Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)) for the ebook for an honest review!


I just reviewed Each of Us a Universe by Jeanne Zulick Ferruolo. #NetGalley

Each of Us a Universe is a beautifully-written, heartbreaking book about a middle school girl dealing with a mom who has cancer, a dad in prison, bullies in school, and all of the feelings that come along with those hard issues. The numerous details about rock-climbing might turn some readers off, but I was curious to know what was at the top of the mountain, just like Cal.

I really appreciated the diverse group of people in Cal's life, from the neighborhood store owner to her science teacher. I would have liked more resolution about the "mean girls," but sometimes those issues don't have closure in real life.

“Each of us has our own mountains to climb.” Both Calliope “Cal” Scott and Rosine Kanambe feel burdened down by the heavy things in their lives. For Cal, her mother’s battle with cancer and her father’s recent imprisonment fill her with feelings of anger, resentment, sadness, and confusion. Rosine has seen and experienced far too much for her age as a refugee from Burundi who wants nothing more than to settle permanently with her older sister. The two girls bond over a common love and talent for mountain climbing and embark on a mission to look for the magic on the famed Mount Meteorite, a local climb shrouded in mystery and legend.
They unearth more than dust from meteorites as they get to know each other and learn that in both life and climbing, lightening the load is key. This beautiful story touches on many topics such as a family affected by cancer, the refugee experience, alcoholism, climbing, and micrometeorites. It also brought a positive outcome of Covid-19 in showing how communities come together in times of difficulty.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy in return for an honest review.

The author, Jeanne Zulick Ferruolo, did an excellent job writing a book about kids dealing with a parent's cancer diagnosis. Cal is facing a number of really difficult challenges and I think her anger, frustration, and confusion are an accurate portrayal of the number of emotions kids are feeling but aren't always sure how to articulate. The book leaves you feeling hopeful, but not in a sugary sweet way, which I really liked.

Calliope Scott's world is filled with problems; her father is in jail, her mother is fighting cancer, and her arm has been in a cast ever since the day that everything went badly wrong. The other girls at school in her small town make fun of her for her father's situation, and for her solitary manner and her worn out clothes. She does have some supportive adults in her life, including her science teacher, Mr. Lopez, who was part of her father's rock climbing community and still visits her dad and asks about him, and the Demskys, an older couple who run a small grocery store. The Demskys also watch out for Rosine and Mali, sisters who have come to the US from the Democratic Republic of Congo by way of Burundi, and have had a very difficult life. Rosine befriends Cal, who is understandably a bit prickly. One thing that makes Cal feel better is hiking in the mountains near her town of Bleakersville, and she becomes obsessed with finding the "magic" left a number of years ago by a meteorite. There are stories about scientists studying this, but all of the information is vague enough that Cal creates a strong mythology in her own head and is determined that if she can climb the highest point on these mountains, the Spire, she can find a cure for her mother's cancer. Rosine decides to join her, and the girls, along with a stray cat Cal calls Wildcat, try to scale this daunting height. Will Cal find the magic that she seeks, or will the adventure be enough to help her come to terms with the reality of her family's situation.
Strengths: Cal had a lot of difficult problems in her life, but she dealt with them in a fairly constructive manner. It was good to see the Demskys watching out for her. The father is in jail due to a drunk driving offense, and this is a situation which has affected several of my students and yet is rarely portrayed in middle grade literature. Ferrulo has a note at the end of the book about children dealing with parents with cancer, and this is another fairly common difficulty that also lacks representation. I very much enjoyed Rosine's character, since I taught with a woman who came to the US from the DRC, and Ferrulo consulted a woman with a similar background to make sure the details were correct. Cal's ourdoor adventure wasn't as badly planned as others I have read.
Weaknesses: Cal's belief that she would find a cure for her mother's illness if she climbed the mountain made this read more like a book for elementary school students. This was a little bit like Rauf's The Star Outside My Window in this respect.
What I really think: This reminded me a bit of Gemeinhart's The Honest Truth (2015) or Wallace's The Wilder Boys (2015), with the adventure undertaken because of issues at home. This author's A Galaxy of Sea Stars (2020) does well in my library, but Ruby in the Sky (2019) has been a hard sell.

4.5 ⭐️ Each of Us a Universe is about growing up, facing your fears, and learning what friends and family really mean. Cal lives by Mount Meteorite and loves to go exploring there. She has never climbed the spire, but her goal is to climb it and find the magic that is rumored to be there. She wants to find the magic to put her life back the way it was before. Before her mom’s cancer diagnosis and before her dad went to jail. Her fear of everything is too much for her to handle alone, and she doesn’t know where to turn or what to do. Until she meets Rosine. Rosine is a refugee from Africa that has moved to town with her sister. She knows what it’s like to lose people you love and how to begin to face your fears. Together she and Cal learn how to trust one another and that everything is easier when you have a friend by your side,

This was a really good book with a lot of heart. The characters were very likable and relatable. I will definitely be getting this for my library! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.