The Many Worlds of Albie Bright

March 15, 2017
In theory, this adventure based in quantum physics could have gone on for another 100 chapters. In theory, it could have kept going forever.The structure of the book is simple: Albie, an English lad, visits a parallel world, and then he visits another one. He does this by climbing inside a tiny Schrodinger box (the kind that held Schrodinger's cat). It's powered by something Albie calls Quantum Banana Theory. Scientists might quibble about the details. It really operates on what could be called the -Roger Rabbit principle-: it works because it's funny. But like most comedies, the novel is based around a tragedy. Albie's particle-physicist mother died two weeks before the start of the book, and he's looking for a world where he can talk to her again. Many of Albie's adventures are amusing or suspenseful, but each world is a little sadder than the last, because Albie's mother is never there. Every world feels distinct and surprising, but Edge's writing does have one odd quirk: a lack of physical description. Readers will need to use deductive reasoning to guess the races of most characters: Albie has green eyes and dark-brown hair, implying that he is white, and his best friend is a British-Asian boy named Kiran Ahmed. Albie's reunion with his mother, when it comes, is utterly heartbreaking, and readers may be grateful they had so many chapters to prepare for it. The book is actually quite short, but it turns out to be exactly the perfect length. (Science fiction. 9-12)

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March 1, 2017

Gr 3-5-This lovely story about overcoming grief is occasionally overburdened by technical descriptions. Albie Bright is an English schoolchild who has lost his scientist mother to cancer. He delves into quantum physics and travels through time in search of his mother, hoping that even though she has died in his universe, she's still alive in a parallel one. Albie manages to run into alternate versions of himself and the people in his life in each new universe, all the while striving to change his own reality. Readers will be captivated by Albie's adventures in parallel versions of his own life and intrigued by the science behind his travels. The scientific details, however, feel overwhelming at times, and some readers may lose interest in the book altogether. As the narrative picks up steam, those who have kept at it are rewarded with a compelling tale about coping with loss and accepting reality. VERDICT A fascinating take on bereavement and sorrow, best suited to strong readers who enjoy science fiction.-Casey O'Leary, Mooresville Public Library, IN

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 2017
Grades 4-7 Albie's parents are brilliant scientists, so when his mom dies of cancer, he turns to science to assuage his griefnamely, quantum physics. With the help of a rudimentary understanding of the theory of Schrodinger's Cat, a banana (they're mildly radioactive), a box, and his late mother's quantum laptop, Albie builds a device that transports him to parallel universes, and he hopes to find one in which his mother is still alive. Albie's machine works, but he mostly finds alternate versions of himself and his father, and experiencing ways his life could have turned out differently leads him to appreciate his own universe all the more, even if it means living in a world without his mom. Edge offers an artful, touching exploration of grief dressed in clever sci-fi trappings. Though the ending is a bit tidy, Albie's realizations about his father, himself, and the importance of not running away from tough feelings ring true. Albie's earnest, geeky first-person narrative, inflected with references to science and classic sci-fi, will be especially appealing to middle-grade fans of the genre.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)