Age range 9 to 12
A Wrinkle in Time meets Stranger Things in an out-of-this-world fast-paced middle grade story about a sister and her special little brother fighting to save the world from an interdimensional catastrophe.
Mary Day's life has always been different, because her little brother, Albie, is different. He doesn't speak, but he can communicate with Mary via mental telepathy, sending her — and her alone — 'mind memos.'
To Albie, Mary is Pearl, the person he holds most precious. Then, one snowy day, Albie transmits an alarming two-word message: Bad order. Soon after, Mary and her best friend, Brit, discover a mysterious red mist in the woods that seems to draw them in...and turn all their feelings negative.
A visit from three extraterrestrials (hilariously trying to pass as human) reveals the truth: there's a disastrous leak in the dimensional universe — and if Albie can't repair it, angry, evil thoughts will overtake the entire population. Can Mary, Brit, Brit's brother Lars, and Albie save the world? And will Mary finally realize that she, like Albie, has something special inside herself?