In our next book review, we are looking at Christopher Edge‘s The Many Worlds of Albie Bright which is aimed at children aged nine to twelve years-old.
Published by Nosy Crow, the book shares is about Albie and his journey of discovery when his mum dies. I guess it’s only natural he should wonder where she’s gone.
His parents are both scientists and they usually have all the answers. Dad mutters something about Albie’s mum being alive and with them in a parallel universe. So Albie finds a box, his mum’s computer and a rotting banana and sends himself through time and space to find her.
What we thought of The Many Worlds of Albie Bright
This is such an extraordinary science fiction book for curious children who often wonder about life and death. There are lots of touching and emotional content in the book, but it is written in a light hearted way with plenty of science facts presented to make the book a fun read. In a way, the book is a great way for children to go on a journey to help them comprehend and cope with losing a family member or pet as they see themselves as Albie.
It showcases how Albie is coming to terms with his grief and loss and finding a way to see his see his mum again using science. A wonderful book for pre-teens to read on their own or a book parents can read to their children before bedtime.
What did my 12-year old son think of the book?
The book is about a boy called Albie and when his mum dies he wants to know where she’s gone and what her job was about. His dad mutters something about quantum physics and parallel universes. He then gets a box, a laptop and a rotten banana and sends himself through different worlds to try and find her.
I like that the book explores the different worlds and I get to meet lots of different characters. I also like that Albie uses things that can be easily found at home and turns it into an adventure. I also love the fact that in every universe, the characters are so similar such as Alba and Albie and how the author describes them as being very similar but they are actually from different backgrounds.
One of my favourite parts of the book was where Albie explained his theories because there was a mix of “that makes sense” to “that would never work so it doesn’t make sense” The writer, Christopher Edge has written the book in a way that as you read the story , you don’t realise how ridiculous it all sounds.
Overall, I would highly recommend it as a great sci-fi book as it is not like any other book I have read before and it showcases the different universes and things that happen in those different .
How much is The Many Worlds of Albie Bright and where can you buy it?
The book is available in paperback for £6.65 from Amazon while its available for free on Amazon Kids+ at the moment. Do check the price directly via Amazon as this might change.
About the Author
Christopher Edge is an award-winning children’s author whose books have been translated into more than twenty languages. He grew up in Manchester, where he spent most of his childhood in the local library dreaming up stories, but now lives in Gloucestershire where he spends most of his time in the local library dreaming up stories.
His novels The Many Worlds of Albie Bright, The Jamie Drake Equation, The Infinite Lives of Maisie Day and The Longest Night of Charlie Noon have all been nominated for the prestigious CILIP Carnegie Medal, and he has also won several awards for his children’s fiction including the STEAM Children’s Book Prize and the Brilliant Book Award. He has been described as ‘A writer of genuine originality’ by The Guardian and his latest novel, Escape Room, was selected as The Times Children’s Book of the Week. He is also the author of the bestselling How to Write Your Best Story Ever! and How To Be A Young #Writer, inspirational guides to creative writing for children and teenagers.
About the Book
Publisher: Nosy Crow
ISBN: 978-0857636041
Dimensions: 12.9 x 1.5 x 19.8 cm
Reading age : 9 – 12 year-old
Pages: 208pages
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17 comments
I am not sure about it being aimed at pre-teens, I want to read it myself. I can see this being a real page turner the type of book you don’t want to put down
This sounds like such a great book! I’m getting some major The Tesseract vibes from it.
It is such a good book which shares about loss to teens without being too intrusive
The book seems awesome, I would love for my kids to read sci-fi when they grow up…Amazing book….
It is a lovely summer read and my son enjoyed the book very much
This sounds like it would be a nice book to introduce to my son. I especially like the fact that it contains science facts, I think he would find those interesting.
Yes I bet he would enjoy reading the book Melanie, it also makes a lovely gift idea
This review beautifully conveys both the heart and imagination behind The Many Worlds of Albie Bright. I love how you highlighted the mix of science and emotion that makes the story so engaging for young readers. Your insights really make me want to pick up a copy myself.
It is such a wonderful book to read for pre-teens/teens and adults as well
My child would 10% enjoy this book! I love how it sparks their curiosity about science and imagination. Such a clever way to explore big ideas through a fun story!!
It is such a great book sharing about loss and the love of science at the same time
Life and Death could be such a hard thing to bring up with a teenager, so this sounds like a very interesting book! Thank you for sharing your review.
You are welcome and yes the book is a great way of addressing loss
The cover grabbed my attention straight away. Sounds like a great book for young readers.
Such a good read, imaginative and shares about real life loss and experiences
The front cover had me straight away, always get sucked into a good book cover I do 🙂
Absolutely! The book illustration is so important