Lani and the Universe by Victoria Carless

Lani Scrub is 11 years old, and in Year 6 at St Agatha’s. She is passionate about quantum physics and astronomy – and particularly obsessed with celebrity scientist, Kit Galway, and the upcoming Junior Interschool Science Championship Cup (which she has been looking forward to since Year 3). She is a quirky girl who deals with anxiety and only has one friend.

At home, Lani’s anaesthetist dad is so busy working long shifts that he’s become a virtual stranger, and her mum’s enthusiasm for nature (including getting backyard chickens and researching home permaculture gardening) couldn’t be more opposite to non-outdoorsy Lani.  

But suddenly Lani and her mum swap their normal lives for a tree change – living with the ‘Folk’ of a nature-based community called Passing Waters. Lani very reluctantly agrees to participate for a two-week experiment, and initially does lots of judging and eye-rolling at the ceremonies, clothing, ‘skooling’ and food involved in the community. She is determined to just get through the fortnight and slot straight back into her previous life as if this was all a bad dream.

The Folk live in a simple, meaningful and environmentally responsible way. Every member of the community is expected to pull their weight, whether by caring for animals, preparing food, making candles and soaps to sell, or contributing to buildings and ceremonies. The lovely theme of environment is entwined with respect and acknowledgement for the traditional Indigenous custodians of the Passing Waters land.

What Lani doesn’t expect is that she will be challenged and changed by this short experiment. That she’ll make friends, learn more about science and space (thanks to a resident astronomer), and come to care for the land, animals and Folk around her. This all sounds quite heavy but a thread of humour runs through the book, adding a light-heartedness that young readers will appreciate.

This is Victoria Carless’ second middle grade novel, following the popular release of Gus and the Starlight in 2022. Both novels share themes of science and family, and finding a meaningful place to belong. The book ends with just over two pages titled ‘sources and further reading about the science concepts in this story’ which is a fabulous resource for keen young STEM fans.

Themes: Environment, Family, Anxiety, Science, Space, Friendship.

Kylie Grant