Relegated to the humble duty of delivering pies due to his lack of motivation, young Joss, a seventh son of a prestigious family of overachievers, is tasked with recovering a suddenly missing Earth with the assistance of an outspoken Earth girl. By the award-winning author of A Mango-Shaped Space. 75,000 first printing. - (Baker & Taylor)Joss, the seventh son of the Supreme Overlord of the Universe, must team up with a human girl to re-create Earth, when the planet is accidentally erased from existence. - (Baker & Taylor)
Joss is the seventh son of the Supreme Overlord of the Universe. His older brothers help his dad rule the cosmos, but all Joss gets to do is deliver pies. That's right: pies. Of course, these pies actually hold the secrets of the universe between their buttery crusts, but they're still pies.
Joss is happy to let his older brothers shine. He has plenty to keep his hands full: attempting to improve his bowling score; listening to his best friend, Kal, try (and fail) to play the drums; and exploring his ever-changing home, The Realms. But when Earth suddenly disappears, Joss is tasked with the seemingly impossible job of bringing it back. With the help of Annika, an outspoken girl from Earth, he embarks on the adventure of a lifetime...and learns that the universe is an even stranger place than he'd imagined.
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Candymakers comes a world-hopping tale that leads the reader deep into the heart of the mysteries of time and space. Plus, there's pie.
- (Grand Central Pub)
Wendy Mass is the New York Times bestselling author of The Candymakers, Pi in the Sky, Every Soul a Star, Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life, and A Mango-Shaped Space. - (Grand Central Pub)
Booklist Reviews
Joss, seventh son of the Supreme Overlord of the Universe, delivers pies that "hold the universe together," but compared to his brothers' tasks, his job is menial. Living in The Realms, located inside dark matter, Joss is nearly immortal and complains that nothing ever happens. Then one day an Earth girl, Annika, spies The Realms through a telescope, and suddenly she is in The Realms. Joss' best friend Kal and Kal's parents are trapped in an unstable universe, and the Earth has been removed from the space-time continuum. Only Joss can fix things by rebuilding the entire solar system. Considering the premise, there is surprisingly little action. Joss spends most of his narration explaining things to the reader, and the rest of his time explaining things to Annika or trying to communicate with Kal. Still, science enthusiasts may enjoy the speculation about alternate universes, dark matter, and quantum physics. Copyright 2013 Booklist Reviews.
Horn Book Guide Reviews
When Earth is ripped out of the space-time continuum after earthling Annika discovers The Realms through her telescope, Joss's best friend Kal is ripped away, too. Joss (seventh son of the Supreme Overlord of the Universe) must re-create Earth from scratch to save Kal and send Annika home. This whimsical cosmology fantasy offers astrophysics and chemistry along with its humorous underachiever vibe.
Kirkus Reviews
Astrophysics and cosmology play around with haphazard cheer in an experimental comedy that could be a Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy for kids. Joss is 13 (well, "more like a few billion and thirteen") and lives in The Realms, a huge place "inside what you call dark matter." As seventh son of the Supreme Overlord of the Universe, Joss' job is to deliver pies. He only partially understands why it matters--after his deliveries, "[s]omehow the Powers That Be distribute the pies to the far reaches of the universe, wherever new star systems are forming"--but he understands the rule (like Star Trek's Prime Directive) that The Realms "never interfere with the planets' natural evolution." That said, if any planetary life-form sees The Realms, the penalty is "immediate disintegration of the entire planet." Yet when human Annika Klutzman spots a Realms pie-baker through a telescope, the PTB don't demolish Earth--they rip it "out of the space-time continuum" so it never existed (sort of). Annika herself materializes inexplicably in The Realms, where she and Joss labor to rebuild Earth's solar system. Chapters open with tantalizing quotes from the likes of Stephen Hawking, Neil deGrasse Tyson and, of course, Carl Sagan: "If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe." Science and absurdity frolic together to gleeful effect. (author's note) (Fantasy. 8-12) Copyright Kirkus 2013 Kirkus/BPI Communications.All rights reserved.
Publishers Weekly Reviews
"Life in The Realms has fallen into a sort of ‘been there, done that' kind of routine" for Joss, the seventh and least skilled son of the Supreme Overlord of the Universe. The Realms occupy the dark matter of the universe and keep the whole thing running; Joss's job is to deliver pies for the Powers That Be (PTB), pies that hold "the very fabric of the universe together." When 12-year-old Earth resident Annika accidentally spots a pie baker in the Realms, the PTB rip Earth and its solar system out of the space-time continuum, effectively revoking its existence ("This way it's nice and neat, and we don't have that nagging guilt at killing off a five-billion-year-old planet," says Joss's father proudly). Annika herself somehow appears in the Realms, and she and Joss must recreate the entire solar system from the ground up. Full of fascinating science and clever humor, Mass's (The Candy-makers) story shines as bright as the stars of Joss's universe. A high-stakes extraterrestrial adventure that's as exciting as it is fun. Ages 8–12. Agent: Ginger Knowlton, Curtis Brown. (June)
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School Library Journal Reviews
Gr 5–8—In this outer-space adventure, Joss is the billions-year-old seventh son of the Supreme Overlord of the Universe. He's charged with delivering pies that contain "the fundamental forces of nature" in his home, "The Realms," which are located in dark matter. Joss's problems are proportionately grand when Annika Klutzman, an Earthling girl, accidentally catches a glimpse of The Realms through her dad's telescope. Such a violation results in Earth (and its solar system) vanishing from space and time and Annika being transported to a meeting of the "Powers That Be" (PTB). Joss's friend Kal's parents were unfortunately visiting Earth on this fateful day, resulting in Kal's elimination as well. Joss is set on rescuing his friend by rebuilding the solar system-with Annika's help, of course. Annika's spirited sauciness and Joss's determination enable them to overcome a multitude of obstacles: stolen data, withheld information, a saboteur, and more. The humorous banter and interesting physics factoids keep readers entertained when the plot drags slightly toward the middle. However, the conclusion is as exciting and surprising as the premise, and the final chapter renders it emotionally fulfilling as well. The thought-provoking quotes from a variety of great thinkers at the onset of each chapter and the subject matter make Mass's latest a unique, mind-stretching title for science-fiction lovers, and the entertaining high jinks and evolving relationship between Joss and Annika give it an even wider appeal.—Kathy Cherniavsky, Ridgefield Library, CT
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