The Universes Inside the Lighthouse by Pam Stucky- A Review

The Universes Inside the Lighthouse: Balky Point Adventure #1 (Balky Point Adventures) by Pam Stucky.

Pages: 208
Publisher: Wishing Rock Press

*I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

About the Book: 

When Emma and her twin brother Charlie arrive on Dogwinkle Island for summer vacation, they are expecting a long boring summer away "away from it all," as their parents had put it. What they weren't expecting was to meet Eve, a time-traveling alien from another planet that would show them the universes that hid inside of the lighthouse on Balky Point. Their adventures take them to "The Hub" where they meat Dr. Waldo, a scientist examining the possibilities of the Universes. In the Hub, Emma, Charlie, and their friend Ben discover that the possibilities of their adventures are endless, only limited by their imagination. The four teens set out on an adventure looking for Vik, the villain in the story, who is trying to destroy the "elevators" that allow for travel between universes. In his travels, Vik is actually spreading this horrible thing call the "The Void."

My Review

Pam Stucky's book The Universes Inside the Lighthouse was a delightful surprise for me. As a scientist, I usually stray away from science fiction because when it isn't done well, it leaves me screaming at the books; however this book was extremely intelligently written. I actually stayed up late on several nights because I couldn't put the book down. The premise of the book, on the surface, appears to be far fetched, but trust me, read the book and discover an adventure of a lifetime. The characters in the story are well developed and the overall plot lays the foundation for a series of books to come in this Balky Point Adventure series.

In particular, I found myself scribbling notes in the margins of the book because there were so many quotes from the book that spoke to me. The story reminds me of A Wrinkle in Time, but for a much older audience. After reading the book, I think it would be best suited for 10 and older. I tried to read it with my eight-year-old, but the concepts in the book were too abstract for her to understand. I think in a couple years, she will be ready and eager to read this book. I will be sending this book to my niece, who is a couple years older than Miss M, to see what she thinks as a young reader.

Overall, I highly recommend this book for both the adventure and the philosophical pondering. I especially enjoyed the character Dr. Waldo, who provided a welcome contrast to the teenage angst of the main character Emma. I think if I was a teenager reading this I would have related to Emma, but as an adult, I definitely understand the world more from the perspective of Dr. Waldo.  The "Hub" where Dr. Waldo does his work was my favorite setting in the book because of the limitless possibilities of this location. Go, download this book now. It is a great read as an adult and as a middle-grade/ young adult fiction novel. 

For more information about the author, Pam Stucky, please check out her website: http://www.pamstucky.com/.

And I hope if my review of this book didn't convince you to read, the book that the quotes from the book enticed you to download it to your Kindle or e-reader.

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Disclosure:  * I was given this book free-of-charge by the author in exchange for my honest opinion. All opinions expressed are my own.