Review by Booklist Review
Joss, seventh son of the Supreme Overlord of the Universe, delivers pies that hold the universe together, but compared to his brothers' tasks, his job is menial. Living in The Realms, located inside dark matter, Joss is nearly immortal and complains that nothing ever happens. Then one day an Earth girl, Annika, spies The Realms through a telescope, and suddenly she is in The Realms. Joss' best friend Kal and Kal's parents are trapped in an unstable universe, and the Earth has been removed from the space-time continuum. Only Joss can fix things by rebuilding the entire solar system. Considering the premise, there is surprisingly little action. Joss spends most of his narration explaining things to the reader, and the rest of his time explaining things to Annika or trying to communicate with Kal. Still, science enthusiasts may enjoy the speculation about alternate universes, dark matter, and quantum physics.--Harold, Suzanne Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
"Life in The Realms has fallen into a sort of 'been there, done that' kind of routine" for Joss, the seventh and least skilled son of the Supreme Overlord of the Universe. The Realms occupy the dark matter of the universe and keep the whole thing running; Joss's job is to deliver pies for the Powers That Be (PTB), pies that hold "the very fabric of the universe together." When 12-year-old Earth resident Annika accidentally spots a pie baker in the Realms, the PTB rip Earth and its solar system out of the space-time continuum, effectively revoking its existence ("This way it's nice and neat, and we don't have that nagging guilt at killing off a five-billion-year-old planet," says Joss's father proudly). Annika herself somehow appears in the Realms, and she and Joss must recreate the entire solar system from the ground up. Full of fascinating science and clever humor, Mass's (The Candy-makers) story shines as bright as the stars of Joss's universe. A high-stakes extraterrestrial adventure that's as exciting as it is fun. Ages 8-12. Agent: Ginger Knowlton, Curtis Brown. (June) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 5-8-Joss lives in a mysterious place known as the Realms and is the 7th son of the Supreme Overlord of the Universe. He is content to let his older brothers and parents deal with keeping the galaxy in order while he tends to his routine of going to school and hanging with his best bud Kal, and his seemingly mundane job of delivering magic pies. Everything changes when an Earth girl named Annika peers through a telescope, leading to dire consequences for Earth as well as the entire universe. It's up to Joss, with help form Annika, his friends, and his family, to save the day. Mark Turetsky vocalizes a huge cast of characters both alien and human, making each unique through pitch, volume, and tone. His female voices are especially impressive. Mass is a true spinner of yarns, and her novel (Little, Brown, 2013) is full of colorful language that creates immediate visuals, and Turetsky's humorous vocalizations bring it all together. Given the detailed storytelling and the variety of kooky characters, middle school listeners will be engaged.-Shari Fesko, Southfield Public Library, MI (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
When Earth is ripped out of the space-time continuum after earthling Annika discovers The Realms through her telescope, Joss's best friend Kal is ripped away, too. Joss (seventh son of the Supreme Overlord of the Universe) must re-create Earth from scratch to save Kal and send Annika home. This whimsical cosmology fantasy offers astrophysics and chemistry along with its humorous underachiever vibe. (c) Copyright 2013. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Astrophysics and cosmology play around with haphazard cheer in an experimental comedy that could be a Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy for kids. Joss is 13 (well, "more like a few billion and thirteen") and lives in The Realms, a huge place "inside what you call dark matter." As seventh son of the Supreme Overlord of the Universe, Joss' job is to deliver pies. He only partially understands why it matters--after his deliveries, "[s]omehow the Powers That Be distribute the pies to the far reaches of the universe, wherever new star systems are forming"--but he understands the rule (like Star Trek's Prime Directive) that The Realms "never interfere with the planets' natural evolution." That said, if any planetary life-form sees The Realms, the penalty is "immediate disintegration of the entire planet." Yet when human Annika Klutzman spots a Realms pie-baker through a telescope, the PTB don't demolish Earth--they rip it "out of the space-time continuum" so it never existed (sort of). Annika herself materializes inexplicably in The Realms, where she and Joss labor to rebuild Earth's solar system. Chapters open with tantalizing quotes from the likes of Stephen Hawking, Neil deGrasse Tyson and, of course, Carl Sagan: "If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe." Science and absurdity frolic together to gleeful effect. (author's note) (Fantasy. 8-12)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
