This story - set in the early 70's - was so dear. The characters are quirky and hilarious, and the story reads really quickly.

This book tells a beautiful narrative of a girl searching for normalcy after her father returns fro Vietnam an amputee. Ms. Holczer brings Lucy's large, unique Italian family to life with thoughtful, loving descriptions. As Lucy makes her first friend in her new hometown, life begins to improve & Lucy starts to see that life may have changed, but it can still be filled with laughter, warmth, & love.

I keep thinking that a tween is going to read this book and think that the draft lottery is totally made up. I think that because I am not sure how much anyone young knows about this time in American History. I hope that there a ton of 6th grade History teachers who are putting this on the shelves and in the hands of kids. There is a lot of The Wonder Years happening here but without the first person narration although, I think that might have been better. The third person perspective of Lucy worked, but then why call her parents "Mom" and "Dad" if they never have any perspective of their own? We never see or hear anything without Lucy, so I would I think first person would have worked better.

Nice work Ms. Holczer. Thanks for the ARC. Thanks to Net Galley as well.

Everything Else In The Universe was a pretty quick read. I could definitely see it working for readers in middle grade classrooms. Lucia is a “chin up” kind of girl- meaning, she acts, and is often treated, like a little adult although she hasn’t even reached high school yet.

I could connect with Lucia. When I was a child, I WAS the quiet one, the watcher of family antics rather than an active participant. Lucia is smart and acts mature, but she’s still a kid. Younger readers will be able to connect with her sense of curiosity and wonder, with the way she views her family.

Lucia loves her parents, but she’s definitely a daddy’s girl. Her father has always resonated with her on a deeper level, and, through flashbacks, you can really get the sense of love between them. In Lucia’s present day, she’s shrugging to find the father that she’s always known as he deals with his return from the Vietnam War. The novel brings up questions that are still relevant for military families today- how long does it take for someone to truly return home?

In between the dynamics of Lucia’s family is a mystery waiting to be solved. Lucia, along with a boy who’s visiting for the summer, must discover who owns the Purple Heart that they’ve found in the garden. The mystery itself is not super engaging, but there’s a lot of important self-discovery that happens as Lucia tries to solve it with her first real California friend.