This is the perfect throwback/update of the late 20th century middle grade "kids on their own" genre. The all-too-rare these days example of a kid figuring things out for herself in the absence of adults...but with a clever acknowledgement of how used today's world is to kids never being outside of adult supervision. Setting Loah up as a homebody with a traveling mother puts the premise in territory familiar to today's kids who spent a good chunk of their childhoods at home during the pandemic, and letting her build on the skills she's developed there rather than having to go out and find a whole new personality acknowledges that it wasn't all just wasted time. Even better, the story stays focused on Loah's experiences and perceptions rather than evaluating the motives and reasoning of the adults around the edges of the story - as multiple folks point out to her (and more people in real life should remind kids), the emotional, professional, etc. needs of the grownups are not her problem. While she saves the day by going above and beyond the call of duty, she also gets to live her own life in the end without defining herself by the goals or shortcomings of her mother or caregivers.

Really, the only (very minor) quibble with the audio edition (I'm not sure if these are also present in the print version), was the slightly jarring incorporation of direct but rhetorical questions to the reader/listener at several points in the story. The tone and language of the questions seem to be geared toward a younger audience than the primary story, and take the listener out of the narrative because this is a story you're experiencing alongside Loah, not hearing about later.

Aside from that, this is a great pick for your next road trip or quiet day at home.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

Such a fun story with great characters. The mother drove me crazy but Loah and her friends were delightful. I loved seeing her come out of her shell a little (no pun intended) and try new things. It felt a little rushed at the end but it wrapped things up nicely. The environmental side notes were slightly distracting but the bird facts were really fun. I loved how she made the birds characters while staying true to real life.

The Most Perfect Thing in the Universe is a super sweet MG book about Loah. Loah is dealing with so much throughout this book including missing her ornithologist mother who is out in the field, worrying about her house falling apart, and helping her ailing caregivers. This is too much stress for any little girl, but I loved how this book showed Loah handle her troubles and learn how to be brave even when she was very scared.

I thought this one was super well written, and even though I wish there had been a few lighter moments in the book, it was fast-paced and engaging. I think Loah was a really well-developed character & the author also did a great job with world-building. I also loved the minor focus on environmentalism. The narration was great on the audiobook! I think the voices were really well-developed and found it super easy to listen to.

Thanks to NetGalley, Tricia Springstubb, and Publisher Spotlight for the chance to read and review!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with access to this audiobook in return for a review!
This was quite a heart wrenching book, especially as a mother. Loah was an endearing character and I was so sad for the life she lived. I could write a lot about just that aspect, but there’s just too much to it. You will come to see that the mother has made and does make bad decisions that hurt Loah most of all, and it will play a huge part in the book. The biggest frustration for me about this book, was that we didn’t get to have confirmation that the mother learned anything from the biggest mistake. It would have kind of made more sense or been more satisfying if we could at least have been reassured that Loah was not going to be left in unsafe circumstances in the future, and her mom was going to change her ways. A lot of the adults in this book make bad decisions or let other people make bad decisions for them which is a bad decision: allowing someone to control you. But the other adults do seem to learn after they or Loa are harmed, and make changes. It’s good for kids to see adults making mistakes, but it’s vital for them to see that adults have consequences and make changes and learn lessons.
There is quite a lot of plot to this book, but there’s so much emotional substance to it as well, so I’ve focused on the latter, so as not to spoil the plot. The little tidbits about birds sprinkled throughout the book are interesting. The voice actor did a good job except the elderly male voices were kind of irritating. Overall a very pleasant and engaging read, but I would feel more confident recommending this book to my kids at the library if boundaries had been agreed upon for the mom for her future work traveling.

Great read, great story, almost poetic at times. It teaches you a thing or two about birdbrains along the way!

Heartwarming story of a girl who always feels out of place. Lola is a delightful main character and the oddball characters she is surrounded by make for an emotional and poignant tale.

Like so many great children's stories, 11-year-old Loah ends up without her normal supports, leaving her to solve problems on her own and prove her own values. Loah's mother loves birds, and has left Loah in the care of people she trusts while she goes on adventures. This time everything seems to go wrong, and Loah gets the help she needs by calling on her own courage and getting the help she needs. This is a delightful adventure with a fantastic cast, and the narrator is fantastic. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me listen to this audiobook