This is such a great book of possibilities and science, and also the way times change but some things stay the same. I loved the glimpses of the past and the way the knots showed up for Candace, Tracey, and Loretta. This is also very much a story of friendship, and I loved the execution and the changes in Candace’s life. I had a lot of fun with this. I did feel a little like the ending happened abruptly, but overall this was such an enjoyable read that I found hard to put down.

Candace, Tracey, and Loretta are connected by a wormhole in their eighth grade locker. While Tracey and Loretta are adults in Candace's time, their school objects manage to breach through space and time to push the three into each other's orbit.

Of course, this is exactly what Candace needs on top of the awkward time that is eighth grade, with changing friendships, more responsibilities, and trying to figure out who she is. (Note that was sarcasm.)

With the help of newfound friendships with Tracey and Loretta, maybe Candace can find the answer to the universe and everything.


**My thoughts**

I came for the wormhole in the locker that pushes Candace, Tracey, and Loretta together. I stayed for the eighth grade shenanigans.

There was potential to expand the wormhole's function in the overall narrative, however, it made sense to trim down on the speculative portions to focus on how Candace grows throughout the book. Because, make no mistake, this is Candace's story. Tracey and Loretta are the adult foils to Candace's coming-of-age as she navigates the awkward transition that is eighth grade. Gaining new friends, reshaping old friendships, and finding out who she wants to be are enough without time-space fully warping reality.

Smith balances each story beat between being grounded in our known reality and something unpossible. I was just hoping for more time-space chaos in the story.

For the young teenagers who may want to try speculative fiction for the first time, this would be a good read to find out if it's for them.