Review: The Science of Unbreakable Things by Tae Keller

Title: The Science of Unbreakable Things
Author: Tae Keller
Genre: Realistic Middle Grade
Release Date: March 2018
Rating: 5/5 Stars

I feel incredibly lucky that the past few books that I've read have been super good, and The Science of Unbreakable Things by Tae Keller thankfully did not break the pattern. In fact, I enjoyed it so much that I couldn't really write a review right away, I had to take a little while to process what I liked so much about this book. Basically, it follows seventh grader Natalie via the science log book that her teacher, Mr. Neely, has his class keeping for the school year. Natalie is smart, but can't really connect with science at the moment because she's distracted by the fact that her mother won't get of bed or go to work, and her father, a therapist who loves talking about feelings, won't tell her what's going on. Luckily, Natalie has her best friend Twig, who is unapologetically weird but a loyal friend nonetheless, and a possible new friend in Dari, the class science whiz. Mr. Neely suggests that Natalie compete in an egg drop competition for her year long project, and Twig and Dari get drawn into her plan to use the egg drop money to do something for her mom that she thinks will bring her old self back.

Needless to say, this book gives you all the feels. It's wonderfully written and some parts are so true I couldn't help but connect with Natalie. Her father is half Korean, but he isn't very interested in his heritage, often dismissing his Korean mother's cooking or traditions. Natalie, meanwhile, longs to connect with this side of herself. She mentions that she feels like she's not a very good Asian because she doesn't know much about her Korean background, and as someone who is half-Asian, I thought that her feelings about being multiracial rang incredibly true. This book is full of all sorts of little moments of honesty that I feel that readers of all ages could connect with. It also deals with depression in sensitive but truthful way, as well as emphasizing the importance of having a support network when you are dealing with mental illness, either first hand or through a loved one. This debut book really won me over and I would recommend it to readers of books like See You in the Cosmos by Jack Cheng, who enjoy realistic middle grade that is at times funny, at times sad, but always completely sincere.

Accurate depiction of me reading this book.

This book is definitely a must-read when it comes out next March, and I'm straight up loving all of the STEM-centered stories that have been coming out in the middle grade world. I'm working on doing a post on my favorite middle grade reads of 2017, since I've been reading a lot in that genre, as well as the new releases I'm most looking forward to in 2018. Stay tuned for more middle grade in future posts!

Note: I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.