About book Brendan Buckley's Universe And Everything In It (2007)
Brendan Buckley is a geologist in the making...he loves rocks, minerals, and the earth. Little does he know, however, that part of his love for the science comes from his grandpa, Ed (his mom's dad). Brendan has never met Ed and doesn't know anything about him. When Grandma Gladys (his dad's mom) takes him to the mall one summer day, he finds a rock exhibit and talks to the man at the counter. Instantly, they both know they have a passion and fascination with minerals. But, when Gladys sees who Brendan is talking to, she rushes him out of the mall. Brendan is confused. Luckily, Brendan has a pamphlet from the exhibit with the man's name on it. Wait a minute! That is his mom's maiden name!Brendan tracks the man down and finds out that, indeed, Ed DeBose, is his grandfather, his white grandfather. Brendan's dad is black, his mom is white. Brendan's grandpa Ed disowned his mom when she married his dad. He is confused and doesn't understand why. The two meet secretly and find their shared interest is worth building a relationship on. That is until his mom finds out and everything is ruined. Will Brendan find a way to bring his mom and grandpa together again? Can past wrongs be righted? Brendan Buckley's Universe and Everything in it portrays prejudice as it rightly is...ugly. But when that prejudice is aimed at a blood relative is becomes more than ugly, it becomes unconscionable. This book wraps up a little too neatly, but nonetheless, gives some food for thought for a young reader.
5/2/11 ** This was a Young Hoosier Nominee for 2010-2011; before I returned all the nominees to the library, there were a few I still wanted to read. I think this has to go onto my wishlist of books to own.I thoroughly enjoyed Brendan's character. His internal dialogue during his quest to understand the world around him keeps the book lighthearted, while also sometimes poignant. Brendan is a self-described scientist - asking questions, looking for answers, and struggling to against the information constraints imposed by his parents. He's also involved with Tae Kwon Do and constantly seeks to apply the precepts of that discipline to his daily life. Finally, he's biracial. Up to this point, his life has been fairly sheltered, and he hasn't had to consider how race shapes who he is. Over the course of the book he has several encounters which bring the question of race into stark relief. Most importantly, he discovers that there is a looming family secret around the question of an absent grandfather.This book would make a great read-aloud for the brave soul who doesn't mind a science experiment about the size of a 10-year-old boy's bladder (hold it forever and pee into a 2 liter bottle!) This would also be a compelling book for any child who isn't quite sure how he or she fits into categories defined by others.
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Brendan is endlessly curious, and he has taken to writing queries (and hopefully their answers) in his Book of Big Questions. However, one thing that he knows not to ask about is his mother’s father, and why he is absent from their lives; one thing that hasn’t occurred to him as a question is how he, the son of a black father and white mother, is seen. During the summer he will turn eleven, a chance encounter with his missing grandfather sends him searching for more answers than will fit in his book. His study of tae kwon do and a love of rock collecting shared with his grandfather provide metaphors for this sweet story about a boy learning about race relations and what it means to be a family.
—Julie
My other challenge will be books that hit you over the head with their "message." Even if it is a good one, I prefer it to happen naturally in the course of a book not smack me in the face. Yes, Brendan has one white parent and one black one but he is a curious little boy and it shouldn't matter. Sadly, in America, it still seems to matter if one considers the events in the news lately. For Brendan he comes to know a grandpa that rejected the idea of his daughter marrying a black man and who wanted nothing to do with her child. Grandpa meets Brendan by chance and then gets to know him through a shared love of geology. Sadly, not all stories are going to turn out so happy but I'm glad this one did. There's even some bullying in here that could get kids talking about hate.
—Carolyn Roys
Brendan Buckley is a ten year old boy interested in rocks and Tae Kwon Do. He keeps a journal called Brendan Buckley’s Book of Big Questions About Life, the Universe and Everthing In It. Lately he’s had plenty of questions for that journal. While at the mall looking at a rock collection, his grandmother vigorously drags him away from an old man. Brendan realizes that the man is his estranged granfather of whom no one in his family speaks well. Using his curious and scientific mind, Brendan questions his mother and other family members in an attempt to figure out what happened between his grandfather and the rest of the family. He soon discovers that it might have something to do with his racially mixed family.I found this book pretty slow going. I just didn’t feel any real energy to the book, any real crisis that moved the plot along. I would, however, recomend it to readers who are looking for a book involving rock collecting or Tae Kwon Do. Ages 9-11 Corretta Scott King New Talent Author Award Winner 2007
—Chris Holliman
