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“A beautiful, sensitive, thoughtful novel that will make you think and smile and think some more, and fall in love with Linda Urban’s books.”
— Kathryn Erskine, National Book Award–winning author of Mockingbird
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“Another gem from one of my favorite authors! Ruby Pepperdine and her wish will work their way into the center of your heart, where they’ll remain (along with a yearning for donuts) long after you close the book.”
— Ingrid Law, Newbery Honor–winning author of Savvy
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“The Center of Everything travels a satisfying, circular path that deliberately echoes the shape of a donut…Wishing has a useful place both in childhood and in this novel; but so, too, does reality, especially when rendered with this kind of sensitivity.”
— New York Times Book Review
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“Urban has deftly structured Ruby’s story as a series of flashbacks…Throughout this slim, affecting novel, Urban treats Ruby’s bewilderment with care and gracefully reinforces the value of friends, family, and community.”
— Booklist (starred review)
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“The poignancy that characterized
Urban’s A Crooked Kind of Perfect and
Hound Dog True is also present in this novel about wishes and regret…Urban
traces how Ruby discovers connections among dissimilar phenomena, including the
nature of relativity, everyday sounds, and being part of a community. Ruby’s
large imagination and even bigger heart are beautifully evoked as the
sixth-grader finds a way to keep the memory of her grandmother alive.”
— Publishers Weekly
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“This story is sweet.”
— School Library Journal
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“A poignant, finely wrought exploration of grief.”
— Kirkus Reviews
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“By turns thought-provoking, humorous, and poignant, Ruby’s story introduces a multifaceted character well worth meeting.”
— Horn Book
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“This picture of life in a small
town and the worries of a preteen will hit home with middle schoolers.”
— Children’s Literature
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“Every book by Linda Urban makes me laugh, cry, hope, wonder, and fall in love with her writing. With The Center of Everything, she has done it again!”
— Barbara O’Connor, author of How to Steal a Dog