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Seventeen-year-old physics prodigy Gottie has experienced much loss in her short life. One summer on from losing her grandfather and being rejected by her first love, Gottie finds herself free-falling, like Alice down the rabbit hole, but through time, back to when these experiences happened. These time-slips intensify when Gottie’s childhood friend returns after being away for five years, and so she works on the “The Gottie H. Oppenheimer Principle” to try to figure out what’s happening to her.
This bold, soulful debut about loss, the black hole of grief, friendship - and physics - sparkles with wit, warmth and sentences to be savoured. Gottie is an utterly unique character whose journey (and quirks) will lift the heart. ~ Joanne Owen
Reader Reviews
Teens love to read and so in addition to our Lovereading expert opinion some of our Lovereading4kids Reader Review Panel were also lucky enough to read and review this title. You can read their full reviews by clicking here.
- Kezia Deakin, age 15 - 'Unique in its combination of genres, this book is a refreshing read dotted with many little intricacies which make it ever more original.'
- Susie Holm, age 15 - 'The Square Root of Summer is an engrossing and beautifully written story. The quirky writing style conveys emotion and moves the story along, while staying entertaining.'
- Zara Kazi, age 17 - 'The Square Root of Summer is a lovely physics time travel love story!'
- Edel Waugh - 'It was an interesting book that any fan of math, physics and space would be interested in.'
- Izzy Read, age 15 - 'An engaging contemporary take on grief, heartbreak and new beginnings, twisted with physics equations; this is enough to inspire anyone to enjoy science and nostalgia.'
- Humaira Kauser, age 17 - 'A coming of age story of a summer's haze that captivates you from the very first page.'
- Lauren Coffman, age 16 - 'This book deals with very fascinating topics, merging relationships and the modern world with what is essentially time travel.'
Synopsis
The Square Root of Summer by Harriet Reuter Hapgood
My heart is a kaleidoscope, and when we kiss it makes my world unravel ...Last summer, Gottie's life fell apart. Her beloved grandfather Grey died and Jason, the boy to whom she lost her heart wouldn't even hold her hand at the funeral. This summer, still reeling from twin heartbreaks, Gottie is lost and alone and burying herself in equations. Until, after five years absence, Thomas comes home: former boy next door. Former best friend. Former everything. And as life turns upside down again she starts to experience strange blips in time - back to last summer, back to what she should have seen then ...During one long, hazy summer, Gottie navigates grief, world-stopping kisses and rips in the space-time continuum, as she tries to reconcile her first heartbreak with her last. The Square Root of Summer is an astounding and moving debut from Harriet Reuter Hapgood.
Reviews
The must-read of the summer... a new twist on coming-of-age, told with vibrance, intelligence, and beauty BuzzFeed a buzzy debut Marie Claire Love, loss and heartbreak told in a wholly authentic teenage voice The Bookseller The Square Root of Summer is a completely unique and beautiful look at all the different ways our hearts can break. Brilliantly told and full of sweeping prose, swoon-worthy romance and just a touch of physics, this is a book for anyone who has loved and lost a family member, friend or romantic partner. BookTrustAbout the Author
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Book Info
Publication date
5th May 2016Author
Harriet Reuter HapgoodMore books by Harriet Reuter Hapgood
Author 'Like for Like'
recommendations
Publisher
Macmillan Children's Books an imprint of Pan MacmillanFormat
Paperback336 pages
Interest Age: From 12
Categories
NewGen - YA FictioneBook FavouriteseBook Favourites
Romance & relationships stories (Children's / Teenage)ISBN
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