Nat’s mum is locked away in her room. She has
removed herself from life and Nat’s therapist father is not telling her why. He
too, has locked himself inside silence.
Mum is a highly successful botanist researcher. Nat
comes to believe that it’s her dismissal from work that has caused her
withdrawal. She is angry and feels abandoned by both parents as her father
won’t discuss her mother’s condition in the same way he refuses to acknowledge
his Korean heritage.
A science class egg drop experiment undertaken with
her friends Twig, a bubbly, spontaneous and optimistic person, and the shy,
reserved Dari, comes with prize money. Nat plans to take her mum to New Mexico
to see the resilient Cobalt Blue Orchid on which she wrote her book, and is
said to have magic healing powers.
The group set out to plan, practice and win, and perhaps
bring Nat’s mum back from where she has retreated. But can shattered things be
put together again?
This is an interesting and multi-layered,
multi-themed novel that addresses depression/mental illness and its effect on
loved ones as well as the sufferer, and the outcomes if neglected. It is about
the importance of family ties and origins, but mostly about love. It also
focuses on the importance of sharing information with those close to you when
life throws you challenges that seem to be insurmountable.
Narrated by Nat, it has a strong, direct but
personal narrative voice. Footnotes are frequently included to clarify
references to certain things. This invites a more intimate relationship with
readers for it allows them into Nat’s thinking space.
Weaving through the story line are scientific
experiments which the class undertake and many philosophical gems to reflect on
that lighten what may seem to some, an uncomfortable subject.
Title:
The Science of Breakable Things
Author:
Tae Keller
Publisher:
Penguin Random House, $14.99
Publication
Date: May 2019
Format:
Paperback
ISBN:
9781524715694
For
ages: 8 - 12
Type:
Middle Grade Fiction
