What Goes Up by Wen Baragrey
Published by Random House Books for Young Readers on October 30th 2018
ISBN: 1524765813
Pages: 224
Goodreads

This is a sweet coming-of-age book about Robyn (named for Shakespeare’s famous fairy Puck) who lives in an eccentric town with an eccentric fairy-obsessed mother (her mom’s business is hosting fairy-themed toddler birthday parties in her fairy-themed house dressed as a fairy) and her not-quite-as-eccentric grandmother. Even Robyn’s house is eccentric (in addition to the fairy decor). The roof attracts — almost magically — all kinds of frisbees, balls, kites, and even the occasional skydiver. One day Robyn and her family learn that a NASA satellite is falling to Earth and she is convinced it will be the next item to land on her roof. While watching the news, she learns about a family from a nearby town with several Albino children and becomes convinced she must be related to them. Anxiety over the falling satellite combined with the discovery of this nearby family, inspires Robyn to search for her absent father. While the author has thrown a lot of things into this book, at its heart it is a sweet story about a girl just trying to find her place in the world.

Reviewed by Karen Sandlin Silverman, Mt. Ararat Middle School, Topsham