The Science of Breakable Things - by Tae Keller (Paperback)

About the Book

Middle-schooler Natalie's yearlong assignment to answer a question using the scientific method leads to truths about her mother's depression and her own cultural identity in this story about the science of hope, love, and miracles.

Book Synopsis

Natalie's uplifting story of using the scientific process to "save" her mother from depression is what Booklist calls "a winning story full of heart and action."

Eggs are breakable. Hope is not.

When Natalie's science teacher suggests that she enter an egg drop competition, Natalie thinks that this might be the perfect solution to all of her problems. There's prize money, and if she and her friends wins, then she can fly her botanist mother to see the miraculous Cobalt Blue Orchids--flowers that survive against impossible odds. Natalie's mother has been suffering from depression, and Natalie is sure that the flowers' magic will inspire her mom to love life again. Which means it's time for Natalie's friends to step up and show her that talking about a problem is like taking a plant out of a dark cupboard and giving it light. With their help, Natalie begins an uplifting journey to discover the science of hope, love, and miracles.

A vibrant, loving debut about the coming-of-age moment when kids realize that parents are people, too. Think THE FOURTEENTH GOLDFISH meets THE THING ABOUT JELLYFISH.

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY NPR * KIRKUS REVIEWS * THE CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARY *

"Natalie's Korean heritage is sensitively explored, as is the central issue of depression."
--Publishers Weekly

"A compassionate glimpse of mental illness accessible to a broad audience."
--Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW

"Holy moly!!! This book made me feel."
--Colby Sharp, editor of The Creativity Project, teacher, and cofounder of Nerdy Book Club

Review Quotes

An NPR Great Read of the Year
A Chicago Public Library Best Book of the Year
A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year
A Booklist Reader Best Book of the Month
A Brightly Best Children's and YA Books of March 2018

"Natalie is an engaging narrator whose struggles at home and with her peers ring true." --Deborah Hopkinson, award-winning author

"Inspiring, emotional, and heartwarming." --Melissa Savage, author of Lemons

"A compassionate glimpse of mental illness accessible to a broad audience." --Kirkus Reviews, starred

"Beautifully crafted metaphors, a theme of mending old friendships and creating new ones, and an empowering teacher to a variety of readers. . . . A winning story full of heart and action." --Booklist, starred

"Natalie's Korean heritage is sensitively explored, as is the central issue of depression." --Publishers Weekly

"Natalie learns that, as with the egg, people, too, are fragile and need support and padding to break their falls. An emotional story that explores parental depression with realism and empathy." --School Library Journal

"A sweet and hope-filled story." --Brightly

"Holy moly!!! This book made me feel." --Colby Sharp, editor of The Creativity Project

About the Author

TAE KELLER was born and raised in Honolulu, where she grew up on purple rice, Spam musubi, and her halmoni's tiger stories. She is the Newbery Medal-winning author of When You Trap a Tiger and The Science of Breakable Things. She lives in Seattle. Visit her at TaeKeller.com, follow her monthly love letters at bit.ly/lovetae, and find her on Twitter and Instagram.