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59th out of 281 books
—
436 voters
Kepler's Dream
by
Juliet Bell
A young girl makes her fractured family whole again with the help of a very special book
When eleven-year-old Ella's mother has to be hospitalized to undergo a dangerous cancer treatment, Ella spends the summer at "Broken Family Camp" with her eccentric grandmother, whom she's never met. The situation is hardly ideal for either of them. Ella is scared her mother may die, bu...more
When eleven-year-old Ella's mother has to be hospitalized to undergo a dangerous cancer treatment, Ella spends the summer at "Broken Family Camp" with her eccentric grandmother, whom she's never met. The situation is hardly ideal for either of them. Ella is scared her mother may die, bu...more
Hardcover, 256 pages
Published
May 10th 2012
by Putnam Juvenile
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Eleven year old Ella is shipped off to stay with her rigid grandmother on a remote ranch in Albuquerque, New Mexico while her mother is undergoing cancer treatments and her distant father is off leading fishing trips. Ella hardly knows her grandmother, having seen her last when she was a baby, just as her parents were splitting up. So we’ve got a child of divorced parents, a catastrophically ill mother, an estranged father who is unreliable and rarely available, a cold, formal grandmother, still...more
I had heard great things about this book, and all the good buzz was definitely deserved. Ella is a great character. Readers can take her seriously, but still laugh at all her jokes (*"Roald Dahl recipe book" is all I'll say here). There is not one character in this book that does not feel genuine and fully formed (and that goes for the animals in the book too!). There are so many traps that the author could have fallen into, such as making Ella's sick mother a saint (instead there were many refe...more
Ella’s mother has been sick with cancer for many years. Now doctors want to try a dangerous stem cell transplant as a last ditch effort to save her life. While she undergoes this treatment, Ella needs somewhere to stay. Her parents are divorced, and her father has been absent for most of Ella’s life. Because he will be busy leading fishing expeditions, he suggests that his daughter spend the summer with her grandmother, a woman Ella has never met. Having no other options, Ella and her dog fly to...more
When Ella MacKenzie has to stay with a grandmother who she has never had any contact with, her fears about her mother's cancer and the radical treatment she needs to undergo are made even more daunting and frightening. Her father, Walter doesn't have much contact with her or his mother so Ella knows virtually nothing about this mysterious woman.
She arrives in Albuquerque, New Mexico to find a stern, almost unloving woman who is mad at the world, it seems. But, she does love her books, her liber...more
She arrives in Albuquerque, New Mexico to find a stern, almost unloving woman who is mad at the world, it seems. But, she does love her books, her liber...more
While her mother fights for her life and undergoes invasive treatment for her cancer, Ella has nowhere else to go but to her paternal grandmother's home in Albuquerque. Since her parents' divorce, eleven-year-old Ella has had little contact with her father since he often heads off on fishing expeditions from his Spokane, Washington base of operations. Since Ella doesn't remember ever meeting this grandmother, she is understandably reluctant to stay with her, and her insistence on proper grammar...more
Ella's mother is ill with cancer, so she is sent to the home of her quirky grandmother (known as GM), where she at least has the company of Rosie, the daughter of a man who works for GM. After a disturbance on the grounds one night (and there's a map at the beginning of the book), GM discovers that a valuable book has been stolen from their library; Kepler's Dream. Ella's grandfather, who was an astronomer and knew Michael Collins, valued the book, so Ella (who has nothing better to do with her...more
Kepler’s Dream is the story of a young girl (eleven) named Ella MacKenzie, whose adventure is the key to mending her lost and heart-broken. The story life is filled with adventure, love, family, forgiveness, dedication and journey. When Ella’s mother becomes ill and diagnosed with cancer, Ella is sent off for the summer to the “Broken Family Camp” in Albuquerque, New Mexico with her Grandmother she has not seen since she was a little girl. Her grandmother is dry and rigid, only caring about her...more
Ella's mother has leukemia and is scheduled for a stem cell transplant on the fourth of July and no one knows where Ella can stay. Ella's parents are divorced and live far apart. Walt, Ella's dad, suggests she spend the summer with her grandmother whom Ella has never met. With only strange stories from her mom about this mysterious relative Ella is excited and scared of spending time with her grandmother in New Mexico. When she arrives her grandmother is as mysterious as is her House of Mud, Ell...more
This was a magical book that took me to another place. Set in Albuquerque (Rhyme's with beef jerky according to Ella), the main character has been sent to live with her estranged paternal grandmother as her mother goes through treatment for cancer. Surrounded by desert, adobe and peacocks, Ella goes about living day to day with a bibliofile grandmother who doesn't show much interest in her other than to correct her grammer. But Ella deals with the hand given her with heart and grace. She discove...more
Ella’s mother needs special treatments for her leukemia; Ella’s father is leading fishing expeditions and has never really had time for Ella. So Ella is sent to live with her stern grandmother who she has never met before. Grandmother’s house is filled with “stuff” from her travels, but her greatest pride is in her library filled with rare books.
The story starts out with a mystery: Grandmother’s most prized book, Kepler’s Dream, has disappeared. Ella and her new friend, Rosie, are determined to...more
The story starts out with a mystery: Grandmother’s most prized book, Kepler’s Dream, has disappeared. Ella and her new friend, Rosie, are determined to...more
Eleven-year-old Ella MacKenzie's mother's radical cancer treatment and her absentee professional fisherman father are the reasons Ella must travel to Albuquerque to stay for the summer with her paternal grandmother whom she's never met and her father, Walter, is estranged from. Ella learns her grandmother (GM) loves good grammar, peacocks, her dead astonomy loving husband and their books, especially the rare Dream of the Moon by a seventeenth century astronomer named Kepler. Then the book is sto...more
This may seem like a heretical idea (especially on goodreads), but some people think that book collectors and those of us who spend a lot of time reading are disconnected from the real world. It is hard to explain that we read and adore books so much because we love life and see books as a way of capturing all of life's moments and the people who shape us.
Ella's Grandmother feels this way about books, too. Her attachment to Kepler's Dream expresses her love for her husband, who died in an accide...more
Ella's Grandmother feels this way about books, too. Her attachment to Kepler's Dream expresses her love for her husband, who died in an accide...more
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Endearing, upbeat, quick read, although not really my usual fare. Well, I do enjoy a fair amount of YA, but this had no magic, very little irony, and not even any Mathematics. It was labelled as a Mystery (from my library, anyway) which, well, I guess technically - there is something that needs to be figured out, and that adds some eleven-year-old urgency to the story, keeps it moving. The main character, however, is not lacking in energy or charm to begin with, so the "mystery" aspect is almost...more
Book #19 Read in 2013
Kepler's Dream by Juliet Bell (YA)
Ella's mother is undergoing chemotherapy. Due to this, Ella is sent to spend the summer with the grandmother she has never met. GM (Grandmother or more aptly, General Major) is a stern woman who upholds grammatical rules, the importance of books and maintaining a healthy emotional distance. Then GM's most treasured piece of her library is stolen and Ella and her friend Rose begin to investigate the robbery.
This book was a good read. Ella is...more
Kepler's Dream by Juliet Bell (YA)
Ella's mother is undergoing chemotherapy. Due to this, Ella is sent to spend the summer with the grandmother she has never met. GM (Grandmother or more aptly, General Major) is a stern woman who upholds grammatical rules, the importance of books and maintaining a healthy emotional distance. Then GM's most treasured piece of her library is stolen and Ella and her friend Rose begin to investigate the robbery.
This book was a good read. Ella is...more
I read this one for a mock Newbery discussion. The storyline & characters were fairly interesting but, in my opinion, not award-worthy. The voice of the main character, Ella, reminded me too much of Sammy Keyes (a character I love!). Compared to "Sammy Keys and the Hotel Thief", "Kepler's Dream" felt flat. I also found the secondary characters (the Aguilar family) more engaging than the primary characters. Without giving away the plot, I would say the first half of the book moves along as yo...more
Ella's parents divorced when she was very young. Her dad moved away to guide fishing trips. Now her mom has been diagnosed with leukemia and needs some radical treatment, so Ella needs a place to stay while Mom is in the hospital. Dad can't do it, but his mother will take Ella into her adobe home in the desert. Ella refers to her grandmother as the GM for General Major, her home as the Good Grammar Correctional Facility and her stay there as Broken Family Camp. There are a few bright spots but t...more
This story has a little bit of mystery (a rare book gets stolen), a little bit of tragedy (mom has leukemia and needs a stem cell transplant), and a little bit of dysfunctional family (divorced dad is seldom around and Ella needs to send the summer with a grandmother she has never met). Yet the story grabs hold of you from the very first chapter that puts you in the middle of the story. Then Ella rewinds back to tell the reader how the book went missing and how she ended up with her gramdmother...more
I started off really liking this book. I didn't have time to read most of the books on our December list, so I read a bunch of first chapters, and this was the only one I wanted to keep reading. It started in medeas res, Ella had a great sense of humor, the writing was fresh, and I always like mysteries. "We have to find the missing book!" reminded me of the Peggy Parish novels I read back in elementary school (haven't revisited, so I don't know if they hold up).
Unfortunately, my enthusiasm wan...more
Unfortunately, my enthusiasm wan...more
For Credit.
When Ella's mother must undergo radical cancer treatment, and she ends up spending the summer with her grandmother in Albuquerque. Her parents are divorced and she barely has a relationship with her father or her grandmother. Her grandmother is a stickler for good grammar and is not particularly welcoming. When a valuable book is stolen from grandmother's library, Ella begins to connect with the property's caretakers. As she develops a friendship with Rosie, she begins to learn about...more
When Ella's mother must undergo radical cancer treatment, and she ends up spending the summer with her grandmother in Albuquerque. Her parents are divorced and she barely has a relationship with her father or her grandmother. Her grandmother is a stickler for good grammar and is not particularly welcoming. When a valuable book is stolen from grandmother's library, Ella begins to connect with the property's caretakers. As she develops a friendship with Rosie, she begins to learn about...more
This was a refreshing mystery...filled with things I love like libraries and science. I loved the grandmother in this book and how Ella grew in her relationship with her. The crazy home and warm characters kept me reading. My main drawback was the pacing. This book took me forever to read because it was so slow moving...and then the ending was so 'happily ever after'. I liked that this was a mystery that didn't involve murder. This would be a good book to supplement during a mystery unit or to r...more
Begins in medias res as a commotion at night outside the adobe house of main character Ella Mackenzie's grandmother awakens everyone. They discover that grandmother Violet Von Stern's copy of Kepler's Somnium, or Dream, has been stolen from her detached library, a chapel-like structure twenty-some feet from her house in New Mexico. After this cliff hanger to end chapter one, Bell, moves back in time to fill in the vents leading up to the theft, an exposition that occupies the next 100 pages. Inc...more
4.5 stars. This is a quiet, meaningful story about family, books, and stars. Eleven-year-old Ella has to spend the summer at her (expletive deleted) grandmother's peacock-infested house in Albuquerque because her mother is undergoing cancer treatments. She's never met her eccentric grandmother before, and quickly starts calling her GM (General Major) to herself because of her stern and unaffectionate mannerisms. She slowly befriends Rosie, who lives close by, and whose father works for GM. Ella'...more
Aug 17, 2012
Brandy Painter
marked it as unfinished-life-is-too-short
So I read the first chapter of this and had to put it aside. It's funny the things that can make or break a book. In this case? The story takes placed in Albuquerque and the MC described the June night as "freezing" and "icy". I thought maybe it was 11 year old exageration. But then the other 11 year old concurred. Huh I thought. Maybe they don't actually live IN Albuquerque but in the mountains outside. I still wouldn't use the word icy but it would be more understandable. But nope. She mention...more
Starred Kirkus
With her mother off on a lunar mission—a last-ditch treatment for leukemia—Ella is left circling like astronaut Michael Collins awaiting the hoped-for reunion. She and her mom have always admired Collins’ bravery, and it turns out the analogy has personal resonance.
When no one else is able to take Ella, she is sent to stay with GM (Grandmother/General Major), a woman Ella has never met. Or has she? The family history is as difficult to navigate as GM’s peacock-ridden, jam-packed ha...more
With her mother off on a lunar mission—a last-ditch treatment for leukemia—Ella is left circling like astronaut Michael Collins awaiting the hoped-for reunion. She and her mom have always admired Collins’ bravery, and it turns out the analogy has personal resonance.
When no one else is able to take Ella, she is sent to stay with GM (Grandmother/General Major), a woman Ella has never met. Or has she? The family history is as difficult to navigate as GM’s peacock-ridden, jam-packed ha...more
Three and a half stars to this debut tween novel. Ella is staying with a grandmother she doesn't know because her mom is getting hospital treatment for leukemia and her dad is irresponsible. The mystery element, of grandmother's missing rare book by Kepler, takes a backseat to the family interactions. This is more for the patient reader, because of the flashbacks and nonlinear narrative, but many tween (girls especially) will relate to Ella. I look forward to the next book by this new author!
Ella is not looking forward to spending the summer at “Broken Family Camp” with her grandmother as her mother undergoes heavy duty treatment for cancer. What she finds at her grandmother’s home in New Mexico, however, surprises Ella and it surprised me too! I was completely smitten with the characters in this story - from the protagonist all the way down to the UPS driver who delivers books to the “mud house.” The mystery of the missing book was compelling, but almost secondary to me, as I was c...more
I really liked the bones of this story (who doesn't like stories about a precocious young girl, bravely facing her mother's illness, surrounded by a cast of eccentric characters) but the execution of it was not great. The editing was terrible -- there were several instances when the characters were described as wearing different clothes than they started out in. Also, as someone who has lived in Albuquerque for the past eight years, I couldn't figure out where the grandmother's house was suppose...more
On the surface, there was pretty much nothing that made me want to read this, save some attendant buzz. Cancer mom, absent dad, smart kid sent to live with crotchety old relative for the summer ... haven't I seen this once or twice or eighty times before? And while I don't think it's perfect - in fact, if I were feeling particularly nit-picky, there's more than a few things I could mention here - I think it's really strong.
Jan 27, 2013
Camryn
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommended to Camryn by:
a local librarian
Shelves:
favorites
I read Kepler's Dream for a contemporary issue project after a local librarian recommended it to me. After reading it, I'm really glad he did. Kepler's Dream has cancer in it without it being too sad or overwhelmingly discriptive. It also has a mystery and a happy ending. The cancer touches your heart without crushing it, which I really appriciated. A great book for cancer survivors, or relatives, people who are interested in cancer or mysteries, and anyone with cancer for their issue topic. A g...more
Jun 02, 2012
Mary
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Shelves:
birds,
dogs,
friends,
grandparents,
feelings,
libraries,
middle-grade-novel,
realistic-fiction
A refreshing mystery. My only problem was that the main character totally sounded like a boy to me when I was reading it and it took me a while to be comfortable with the fact that she was a girl. It was just the style of writing I guess. Not sure. Anyway, great book, with some unexpected twists to keep people guessing, even if one thing if fairly clear early on.
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Jul 03, 2012 02:29am