This book is the one that I saw lots of librarians talking about this summer, and I was excited to get an ARC. The main character hears a news report that the world will be destroyed by a comet in a few days but it becomes clear early on that something else is going on. As an adult reader, I was confused at first but then was able to predict the eventual twist. It was definitely a unique plot, and I have to wonder if MG readers will persevere through that initial confusion and get to the twist or not.

Incredibly happy to hear this has been nominated for the Governor General awards for 2023. I’ve heard a lot about it and we will sell a lot in the upcoming Christmas season.

"If you're reading this, the world has probably ended..." When Kemi wakes up one morning, she is going about her day as usual: getting dressed, eating breakfast, etc. But when her dad calls them in from the other room, their world will change forever. An asteroid will hit the earth in 4 days. How do you spend your last days knowing the world is going to end? Kemi's family spends it together. Eating, planning, hugging, just being togther because family is the most imprtant. Kemi decides to make a time capsule so that hose who survive won't forget her family. She has each member of her family contribute something to the time capsule. Somthing important to them that they love more than anything. She is frantic to find something for her dad. Most of the rest of the family has already given their stuff to her, but her dad cannot decide on anything. 

And then the day the asteroid is supposed to hit the earth arrives. The world will end. Her family as she knows it will cease to exist. But then... a plot twist I definitely did not see coming!

This was an amazing book that shows how different people deal with grief. As Kemi's family is nearing the end, they all react differently, but they all come together and are there for one another. I loved this book and the characters in it. They were real and raw and made me think. This is an excellent book for anyone dealing with hard things.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

A book that hooks you quickly in the beginning and stays with you long afterwards.  I would recommend.

At first, I found this book a bit odd. I couldn't really understand why characters were responding the the impending end of the world the ways that they were. There were moments that simply didn't make sense.And then it clicked what was actually happening (which I won't discuss here because spoilers) and it all fell into place. And then it kicked me in the guts. Getting to the end of this book is visceral and painful and completely worth it. That does mean that it is likely to be too intense for some readers and that it will require patience from most. But it's well worth it for the discussions it could inspire.

Thank you @netgalley for the advanced copy of this book.  What an enjoyable twist that bumped my rating up to the top. 

For anyone who is grieving something so heavy like the end of the world would feel…and how to prepare for that but also live in it.  Powerful, Powerful book for middle school and up!

This book destroyed me. I sobbed. Multiple times. And it was completely cathartic and unexpected. Sarah Everett has created a unique, heartbreaking and gorgeous story that will stay with me for a long time.

I am so very glad this book was recommended to me. I thought it had so much depth, insight and heart, and I sincerely hope that it gets the attention it deserves. This would be such a good choice for YA readers and strong middle grade readers as well—it is smart, timely and the messaging is ideal for kids grappling with identity and friendship.

Beautiful and important story that may break your heart. This has certainly felt like the most buzzed about book of the summer of 2023. Try to go into it without learning too much about it. Loved the math.

One of those books that slowly clues in the reader that our narrator is not a reliable one  . . .  it's well done and bittersweet.  A book that showcases family and the strength of family and friend connections and how grief  is terrifying and unstoppable.   Throughout the story we gain the intimate snapshot of a family's life  and love and the process of coping with the unthinkable and coming back around to finding the strength to move on.

“It’s the end of the world as we know it,” played in my head as I flew through this unputdownable book. The author kept me wondering and on my edge of my seat. You’ll experience so many emotions as you read this. Surprise and deep sadness were my two biggest.

Just read it!  Don’t read anything about it. You’ll be glad you did.  Then tell other people to read it.

Stunning middle grade novel that will move you to tears and leave you reflecting on your own choices and relationships- whether you’re a child or an adult reader.  Kemi is preparing for the end of her world, waiting for an asteroid to hit Earth, by being surrounded by family and creating a time capsule with each of her family members’ favorite things.  Struggling to help her dad choose his most favorite thing, will she be able to complete the time capsule before saying good-bye?  This book is an absolute must-read for 10-adult!

What a great twist to a great tale! I really enjoyed The Probability of Everything especially when the deeper meaning became clear.

The depth of emotions and thinking that come from reading this book make it difficult to believe that this is a debut work of fiction from Sarah Everett! Kemi’s world will end in 4 days and she determines that a time capsule is the best way to leave a record of her family for someone in the future to find. Readers will be pulled along her journey of remembrance and will gain insight into the lives of her immediate family and that of her aunt and uncle who live close by as each handles the coming catastrophe in their own way. That look into the memories and emotions of others may lead readers to ask important questions of themselves. Get ready for an emotional journey that should be shared with someone else. Teachers could easily use this work as a class novel study with skills instruction possible in characterization, figurative and sensory language plus even more important lessons on feeling big emotions such as love, anger, sorrow and joy and  positive ways of expressing them. Math and science are incorporated into this important book and will naturally lead to further exploration of probability and space. Teachers should expect much conversation about current news events, as well. This is a “first choice” selection for libraries serving grades 4 and up.

This is the story Kemi and how she is coping with the end of the world, as she know it. She decides to make a time capsule to hold the best memories, so the future will know about her family. As she gathers things, you learn about her family through flashbacks. You start to learn about the struggles the family is having in the new neighborhood. Time is ticking down and ending you learn about Kemi’s true struggles.

This book is heartbreaking and surely makes you thin!! am so glad I had a chance to read it!

Still processing this book... it's middle grade, but it's incredible intense. Everyone who recommended it said to go in blind, and I 100% agree. It's hard to describe any part of the plot without spoiling it or watering it down. I can say it's a heartbreaking journey about grief done in a REALLY unique way! 

Upon reflection, I really don't have many more words to express my opinion. It's rare to find an "experimental" book in the middle grade age band, but that is what this is. The writing is well done, the lesson is strong, and the perspective is incredibly unique. I honestly can't say that I 'liked' this book, but I respect the story and can agree it was very well done. 

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC! This one is available now.

A wonderful, heart-rending story😣

Child or adult, this story cannot help but move the reader as it did me.  Kemi, the young girl main character, has to deal with a horror beyond imagining as her life is upended on a typical evening at home with her sister and parents.  It's the end of the world as she knows it and she needs to store up the memories of her loved ones in less than a week so they will not be forgotten. 

Kemi's care at helping her family members identify the things they most love to be remembered by, and her touching interactions with her extended family and friend Dia, are full of moving moments and heart-rending reminiscence.  Despite the sad prospect of their obliteration by an asteroid direct strike, I just could not stop reading as the hours until Doomsday ticked away.  A young person reading the story may find it difficult, but I would still recommend it for a tween or middle grader because it's such a strong tribute to the value of family and friends.

This poignant story mad me sad, mad and yet hopeful that somehow, some way, the end that Kemi is dreading will be averted.  When the gigantic twist about her father came, I was not prepared.  And it made the tale even sadder because it brought it closer to home and the world that we experience through the news and, sometimes, tragically, right in our neighborhoods.  Kemi's scientific, statistics-filled mind cannot comprehend the events actually unfolding as they are too emotional, too raw, so she wraps herself in her scientific curiosity and takes action to divert the pain.  The story's original, well written and one to be shared.   It's not just a children's book as it digs deep into the experience of loss and handling grief.

Thanks to HarperCollins Children's Books/Clarion and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary advance copy of the book;  this is my voluntary and honest opinion.

This book was recommended to me with the advice to not read anything about the book because that would give it away. I am so glad I took that advice. It was a great middle grade read and I look forward to putting it in the hands of students.

Eleven year old Kemi loves probability & science. After learning an asteroid will collide with the Earth in a mere four days, her family hunkers down together at her aunt's home. Kemi can't understand how for others, life is going on as normal with the unavoidable catastrophe looming overhead. As Kemi wrestles with how to come to terms with the impending end of the world, she decides to create a time capsule that includes items representing the members of her family in hopes that the capsule will be found at some point in the future and know that her family existed. As she collects various important items from her family and hears the stories behind each item, we learn about Kemi and her family, including her mom, dad, sisters Lo and yet to be born baby Z, aunt, uncle, and cousins, and how each is dealing with the situation in their own way.

While tension built throughout the story as the countdown to impact continued, I didn't see the ending to this one coming and it hit me hard! Powerful, emotional, and heart-breaking book. 

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a digital ARC to read and review.