I Am the Universe - Hardcover

Corcoran, Barbara

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0689312083 ISBN 13: 9780689312083

Publisher: Atheneum, 1986

Synopsis

The serious, responsible girl of the family has to contend with a number of problems, both funny and not so funny, when her mother has to have an operation.

About this title

From School Library Journal:

Grade 5-8 Corcoran's portrayal of a normal family holding together under stress is skillfully done. Kit's mother is operated on for a brain tumor, and the task of holding the family together falls to Kit. Her older brother seems like a stranger now that he is starting to date. Daniel, a genius, is failing third grade; her younger sister seems to need more and more attention. Kit is struggling with a theme entitled, "Who Am I?" This first-person narration is psychologically revealing, as Kit begins to learn more about herself and her strengths. Characterizations are excellent. The Esterly parents are wise and warm. Siblings, while they have moments of conflict, are kind and decent to each other. These strong characterizations also allow Corcoran to prick stereotypical thinking. An author imagined to be old turns out to be young and bumbling. A housewife fails at cooking, but a vagabond ex-war photographer flourishes in the kitchen. An auto accident produces a friend, not a lawsuit. Simple language ensures a wide readership, but the intellectual content is there for those who wish to pursue it. Cindy Darling Codell, Belmont Junior High School, Winchester, Ky.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Publishers Weekly:

Narrator Kit Esterly's first problem is the paper she has to write for her eight-grade English class on who she is. But she doesn't know who she is. Added to that are her mother's incessant headaches that turn out to be caused by a brain tumor, the disappearance of her younger brother Daniel's cat, preschooler Terry's demands for attention and teenage Andy's goofy behavior when he starts dating. Being the "sensible" one, Kit has to hold the family together while her mother is in the hospital. The strain takes its toll, and a tension-releasing prank lands her in police custody. But, ultimately, everything works out, and Mrs. Esterly returns home, her healthand Kit's happinessrestored. Corcoran (Face the Music, etc.) has beautifully captured a preteen's teetering between childish blunders and adult insights. A delightful character, Kit is a heroine despite herself. Like many 12-year-olds, she's funny when at her most serious, with wisecracks that come straight from the heart.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Atheneum
• Publication date: 1986
• ISBN 10: 0689312083
• ISBN 13: 9780689312083
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 136