By Carolyn Mackler (author)
Paperback Not Available
View All Editions (1)
One of our 2018 Books of the Year
September 2018 Book of the Month | In a Nutshell: love, trust, truth, and being true to yourself | This engaging and refreshingly candid sequel to the bestselling The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things tackles big issues (body shaming, date rape, parental pressure) with big-hearted verve, sincerity and charm.
Vibrant, witty, purple-and-green-haired Virginia attends a prestigious private Manhattan school but despite this privileged background, her life’s not exactly a bowlful of cherries. On good days Virginia considers herself to be curvy. On bad days she’s “plain old fat”.
She comes from “a family of fat-shamers” and is constantly undermined by her high-achieving older siblings. Virginia has a boyfriend, though, Froggy. Except she’s no longer into him, which is another source of tension – she is, after all, the girl who wrote: “if you’re a chunky chick and you managed to get a nice boyfriend, don’t ever let him go”, so it’s quite a struggle for Virginia to decide whether she should let him go.
Then, while you’re 110% rooting for her to make the right decision, fate intervenes in the form of a chance encounter with cute artist Sebastian. He’s attentive, complimentary and makes her feel pretty. As they become closer (and cuter), complicated connections emerge when Virginia’s big brother Byron is arrested for a serious offence, leaving the lovebirds with a whole lot of conflicts you’ll be desperate for them to resolve.
The story is a real edge-of-your-seat page-turner, but Virginia is the true star of this well-plotted piece. At once ambitious and insecure, she zings from the page as a firecracker of relatable, true-to-life contradictions, while Byron’s appalling actions – and their painful repercussions – expose male privilege with thought-provoking poignancy. Highly recommended for fans of Rainbow Rowell and Holly Bourne. ~ Joanne Owen
This year Carolyn Mackler will re-release her beloved coming-of-age novel The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things in a newly updated edition. Now she drops readers right back into the hilarious, haphazard life of Virginia Shreves in this long-awaited sequel! Perfect for fans of Rainbow Rowell and Dumplin'.
Read the full description
Six months after Virginia decides to ignore the `Fat Girl Code of Conduct' and make her relationship with Froggy Welsh the Fourth official, things are getting complicated. She's not sure she still likes Froggy, her mum has betrayed her to the meanest girl in school, and her feelings about her brother Byron are still a mess since he was suspended from university for date rape.
But then police come to their apartment and arrest Byron. As Virginia tries to figure it all out, she meets Sebastian - a guy with his own private drama. They make a pact not to talk about their troubles, but then a terrible secret comes out that could ruin everything.
Praise for The Earth, My Butt and Other Big Round Things;
I loved this book. It's funny, sweet, and most of all, hopeful. It should be required reading for all girls, everywhere Sarah Dessen
The heroine's transformation into someone who finds her own style and speaks her own mind is believable - and worthy of applause Publishers Weekly
Readers will be rooting for Virginia all the way Kirkus Reviews
Carolyn Mackler is the acclaimed author of the YA novels The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things (a Michael L. Printz Honor Book), Infinite in Between, Tangled, Guyaholic, Vegan Virgin Valentine, and Love and Other Four-Letter Words, as well as the co-author of The Future of Us. She also wrote the middle-grade novel Best Friend Next Door. Carolyn lives in New York City with her husband and two sons. carolynmackler.com @carolynmackler
Books of the Year 2018
the best books for teenagers
The Inheritance Games - Special Edition
Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Tasneem Abdur-Rashid
Only Love Can Break Your Heart
Love Letters to the Dead
This year Carolyn Mackler will re-release her beloved coming-of-age novel The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things in a newly updated edition. Now she drops readers right back into the hilarious, haphazard life of Virginia Shreves in this long-awaited sequel!
The LoveReading4Kids Editorial Team have read and reviewed The Universe Is Expanding and So Am I and determined it is suitable for children aged 13-18 years old
The Universe Is Expanding and So Am I features in the following genres: Books of the Month, Recommendations, Stories about Family and Friends, Children's and Young Adult Fiction, Children’s, Teenage and Educational, Featured Books for Young Adults, Recommended Children's eBooks, Romance / Relationship Stories, Featured Books for 13+ readers
Paperback. Not Available.
The Universe Is Expanding and So Am I was written by Carolyn Mackler and published by Bloomsbury YA an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
The Universe Is Expanding and So Am I has 282 pages
©PTC International Ltd T/A LoveReading is registered in England. Company number: 10193437. VAT number: 270 4538 09. Registered address: 157 Shooters Hill, London, SE18 3HP. Terms & Conditions | Privacy Policy | Disclaimer
The National Year of Reading starts here. Join thousands of families and schools supporting reading for pleasure across the UK.