The Center of Everything

The small town of Bunning comes together every year for their annual festival celebrating the donut, which they claim was invented by the brave Captain Bunning who founded the town.  This year Ruby is honored by being the student chosen to read her winning essay at the festival's parade.  As Ruby waits for her turn to read her essay, she is also waiting for an opportunity to fix everything that has gone wrong in her world recently.  Ruby's best friend is mad at her, and things aren't looking so good with her new friend, Nero, either.  Most of all, Ruby greatly regrets not listening to her grandmother, Gigi, who recently passed away.  But Bunning Day is the perfect opportunity for Ruby to make things right.  It all depends on her essay, and also on the magic of her birthday wish...

Author Linda Urban has a history or writing thoughtful novels with introspective characters, such as A Crooked Kind of Perfect and Hound Dog True.  Her latest effort, The Center of Everything, is brilliantly written.  Ruby's character is well-crafted, and she somehow manages to be meek and powerful at the same time.  The pacing of this novel is interesting as most of the action takes place in only a two-hour period, but lots of flashbacks and introspection to flesh out the details and provide needed backstory.  The writing is certainly distinctive (it's already getting some early Newbery buzz) and I expect that this book will make my "Best of 2013" list.

This book will be appealing to fans of author Wendy Mass (11 Birthdays, etc.) and Rebecca Stead (When You Reach Me)

Overall Grade:  A