By Colorado Kids Advisory Board member Brenna Benson

Title: A Corner of the Universe
Author: Ann M. Martin
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Number of Pages: 189

Do you enjoy emotional, sad books? Do you like books that explore relationships and have great character development? If so, then you'll love A Corner of the Universe.

This wonderful, touching book is about a young girl named Hattie who lives with her mom and dad in their boarding house in a small town.

The summer that Hattie turns twelve, she finds out that she has a mentally ill uncle no one ever told her about. His name is Adam and he is 21. When Adam's special school closes, he comes and lives at Hattie's grandparents' house, which is close to where Hattie and her parents live. Hattie soon discovers that Adam is a loving, unpredictable "I Love Lucy" fan. She also finds out that he has a very unusual ability. When given any date including the month and year, Adam can actually, off the top of his head, name what day of the week it falls on!

Hattie also finds that Adam is usually very friendly and calm but boy does he have a fiery temper! For instance, during Hattie's birthday party, when Adam is yelled at by Hattie's grandma for sticking his finger in the birthday cake, he stomps out of the room, wailing loudly.

Hattie notices that her grandmother treats Adam unkindly. Whenever they have company, her grandmother locks Adam in his room and acts as if he doesn't exist. Hattie feels sorry for Adam and is very angry with her grandmother for being so ashamed of her son.

One day, a circus called "Fred Carmel's Fun Time Carnival" comes to town. Hattie saves up all her money to go, and while there, she makes a friend named Leila, whose family owns the circus. Leila is also twelve, and Hattie is sad that she can't stay in town with her. Leila allows Hattie to get into the circus for free! Hattie goes there almost every day that it's in town, and she and Leila become really good friends. One day, they sneak Adam out of the house and take him to the circus. While they're on the ferris wheel, Adam becomes scared and tries to climb off of it. The police soon arrive and they take Adam to jail. Hattie winds up getting in big trouble with her grandmother.

Adam comes over to Hattie's house every day, and he winds up falling in love with one of the boarders named Angel Valentine. Adam wants her to like him, so he walks right into her room one day to give her flowers. When he opens the door he sees...Sorry, but I can't tell you what happens! You have to read the book to find out. All that I can tell you is that the end of the story is sad and shocking.

I loved this book because it really makes you think and feel compassion for mentally ill people. While I was reading it, at times, I felt very sad. In fact, I even cried! If you enjoy this book, you might want to check out another emotional story, Sort of Forever by Sally Warner.

The one thing that I didn't like about this book is that it is really sad. I would definitely recommend it to girls who are 12 and older. Be forewarned, there is some adult content and one scene in particular is very disturbing. Don't let this keep you from reading this thoughtful, touching story of friendship. (December, 2002)