Everything Else in the Universe

Everything Else in the Universe by Holczer, Tracy. paperback edition. ISBN: 9780147508478.

In the midst of the Vietnam War, a young girl struggles to embrace change in this tender family story for fans of Cynthia Lord and Wendy Maas Lucy is a practical, orderly person--just like her dad. He taught her to appreciate reason and good sense, instilling in her the same values he learned at medical school. But when hes sent to Vietnam to serve as an Army doctor, Lucy and her mother are forced to move to San Jose, California, to be near their relatives--the Rossis--people known for their superstitions and all around quirky ways. Lucy cant wait for life to go back to normal, so shes over the moon when she learns her father is coming home early. It doesnt even matter that hes coming back "different." That she cant ask too many questions or use the word "amputation." It just matters that hell be home. But Lucy quickly realizes theres something very wrong when her mother sends her to spend the summer with the Rossis to give her father some space. Lucys beside herself, but whats a twelve-year-old to do? Its a curious boy named Milo, a mysterious packet of photographs and an eye-opening mission that makes Lucy see theres more to life than schedules and plans, and helps to heal her broken family. The latest from critically-acclaimed author Tracy Holczer is a pitch-perfect middle grade tale of family and friendship thats sure to delight fans of One for the Murphys and Rules.