Center of the Universe

A gripping mystery about the gravitational force between mothers and daughters.

Grace Carter's mother - the celebrity news anchor GG Carter - is everything Grace is not. GG is a star, with a flawless wardrobe and a following of thousands, while Grace - an aspiring astrophysicist - is into stars of another kind. She and her mother have always been in different orbits. Then one day GG is just ... gone. Cameras descend on their house, news shows speculate about what might have happened and Grace's family struggles to find a new rhythm as they wait for answers. While the authorities unravel the mystery behind GG's disappearance, Grace grows closer to her high school's golden boy, Mylo, who has faced a black hole of his own. She also uncovers some secrets from her mother's long-lost past. The more Grace learns, the more she wonders. Did she ever really know her mother? Was GG abducted ... or did she leave? And if she left, why? Author Ria Voros (Nobody's Dog, The Opposite of Geek) reaches for the stars here, deftly combining mystery with a passion for science and themes of mother-daughter bonds, celebrity, first love and best friendship. Facts about astronomy and astrophysics are seamlessly woven into the story and are supplemented by an interview with real-life astrophysicist Elizabeth Tasker, making this the perfect book for readers who love STEM. And even readers who don't have stars in their eyes will love this smart, suspenseful, relatable and literary novel.

AGES: 14 and up

AUTHOR:
Ria Voros is a middle grade and YA author, teacher, presenter and obsessive reader. She loves her family, the planet and dessert, most often in that order, and can be found eating ice cream on the beach with her husband and two kids in Victoria, BC, Canada.

SELLING POINTS:
• Suspenseful, surprising, relatable, literary, and smart - this book reaches for the stars.
• The author deftly weaves together themes of mothers and daughters, celebrity, first love, best friendship, and science.
• The main characters and story are supported by a strong framework of subplots and unforgettable secondary characters.

ISBN: 9781525300387
Author: VOROS, RIA
Format: Hardcover
Publication date: 01/06/2019
RRP: $26.99
Pages: 512
Dimension: 216mm X 146mm
Imprint: Kids Can Press