The Center of Everything

As she leads the listener through the story of her youth, Evelyn Bucknow is a most appealing literary figure. Cautious, honest, and observant, she pulls the listener by the hand to the flat expanse of Kansas in the 1980s, where she lives in a run-down apartment complex with her lively redheaded mother. Julie Dretzin carries Evelyn from childhood to young adulthood with a wonderfully nuanced voice that grows appropriately with the character. The listener feels Evelyn's pain of first love, worry for her mother's health, and quiet ambition for a better future. Both Evelyn and her mother grow over the course of the audiobook, facing hardships and the disapproving stares of others with fortitude and a little defiance. This is Moriarty's first novel; one hopes it will be the first of many. L.B.F. (c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine


Narrator Suzy Jackson offers a sparkling portrayal of 12-year-old Ruby Pepperdine. Ruby is upset about events surrounding her grandmother, Gigi's, recent death, especially their last conversation. As a result, Ruby becomes even more preoccupied with rituals and superstitions as she hones her intuitive skills so that she can finally understand what Gigi was trying to tell her. Jackson's youthful voice is perfect for the voices of Ruby and her diverse group of friends. As Gigi, she sounds appropriately elderly and desperate to make sure her gifts have been passed on to her granddaugher. While Jackson's lively pacing conveys Ruby's inquisitive and enthusiastic nature, she modulates both her tone and pace dramatically to reveal Ruby's introspective side in this tender story. M.F. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine

January 7, 2013
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. Months after her grandmother’s death, 12-year-old Ruby Pepperdine composes a winning essay honoring her New Hampshire town’s namesake: Capt. Cornelius Bunning, inventor of the doughnut. Ruby should be ecstatic that she gets to read her essay in front of the whole community on Bunning Day, but her mind is on other things, especially how she didn’t listen to her grandmother’s final words before she died. Ruby thinks that maybe if she wishes hard enough, “everything will be back to how it is supposed to be,” but making a wish the right way is a tricky business. In a story whose winding plot echoes the doughnut shape that fascinates Ruby, 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. Ages 9–12.

June 1, 2014

Gr 3-6-Ruby Pepperdine's best friend, Lucy, has accused her of creating a rift in their friendship, and then there's Nero DeNiro, who is causing strange new feelings in her that she doesn't really understand. Ruby finds herself wondering how she let these things happen while she waits for the Bunning Day parade to get underway. As she observes various individuals in the parade and prepares to give her winning essay on Bunning Day, she wonders how she can make everything right with her friends and family. The author delves into the chaotic world of a 12-year-old girl who is dealing with serious issues. The book is both heartwarming and humorous, and narrator Suzy Jackson does an excellent performance of Ruby as well as the various casts of family and friends. It is easy to picture the various characters. This is not a title one would recommend to reluctant readers, but it is one that faces real-life situations head-on, and offers an honest depiction of grief.-Sheila Acosta, San Antonio Public Library

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