Wishes, parades, constellations, donuts, and time travel all cross Ruby Pepperdine's mind as she tries to come to grips with the death of her beloved grandma Gigi.

If you're a fan of Rebecca Stead (whose book [b:When You Reach Me|5310515|When You Reach Me|Rebecca Stead|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320395542s/5310515.jpg|6608018] gets a mention in the story alongside [b:A Wrinkle In Time|18131|A Wrinkle in Time (Time, #1)|Madeleine L'Engle|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1329061522s/18131.jpg|948387]), I can pretty much guarantee that this book will touch you. Like Stead's books, it's emotional, intelligent, a little complicated in its plotting (in a way that keeps you turning the pages trying to figure it out), and told efficiently in about 200 pages. I read it in one sitting. Here are some random thoughts before I write a real review:

How can you not love a kid named Nero DeNiro?

The themes of listening and coming together, reminded me of "Only connect!" from one of my favorite novels E.M. Forster's [b:Howard's End|9810105|Howard's End|E.M. Forster|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1291346241s/9810105.jpg|1902726].

All the second-person narration, like, "If you were Ruby...," was very interesting, I thought. I've seen it used before for humorous effect in Lemony Snicket and some other books, but it was used here not for fun or absurdity or breaking the fourth wall, but for connecting (only connect!) the reader more deeply to Ruby and her journey.

Can you win the Newbery if you mention the Newbery in your book? We shall see! I know it's only March, but this book has jumped to #1 in my heart for 2013. ( )

children's middlegrade fiction (4th-6th grades); realistic fiction (bereavement and friendship). I liked Hound Dog True a lot more; these characters were likeable, esp. Nero, but the whole book felt like waiting, rather than suspenseful/interesting wondering/wishing, and the ending was rather neatly resolved. It was ok. ( )

For a short, middle-grade novel, "The Center of Everything" is an unusually philosophical entry. And I mean that in a good way.
Ruby Pepperdine has lost her beloved grandmother, Gigi. She doesn't know how to grieve, and she is particularly bothered that the last thing Gigi said to her, when Gigi's was prone to nonsensical rambling, was "Listen!" And Ruby didn't listen. Now she has made a wish to right the wrongs of the past, and she superstitiously believes her wish will be granted, as long as she does the things she is supposed to do. But how does she know what she is supposed to do? She has her family, her best friend, Lucy, and a new friend, who the reader is led to believe may be future boyfriend material, Nero. They all try to help her in their own ways. But Ruby is not merely trying to figure out how to grieve. Though she doesn't realize it herself, she is trying to figure out what her philosophy of life is.
I only had one problem with this book: The entire tale is written in present tense, but the events of each chapter jump around in time. Sometimes we're reading about things from the past... different points in the past. And sometimes the present. But regardless, it is all told in present tense. At times I found this a little confusing. ( )

Very well done, deceptively simple. The story didn't grab me but I could see the skill and how this would appeal to middle-grade girl readers, especially. I think it didn't have the thematic heft of other middle grade books I've really admired, like [b:The Midwife's Apprentice|15595|The Midwife's Apprentice|Karen Cushman|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1305983479s/15595.jpg|168119]or [b:Sarah, Plain and Tall|106264|Sarah, Plain and Tall (Sarah, Plain and Tall #1)|Patricia MacLachlan|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327254558s/106264.jpg|2674739]. ( )

In the midst of the parades and celebrations and donut fever of Bunning, New Hampshire’s annual Bunning Day, rule-following Ruby is trying to figure out how to fix what she messed up. She knows she’s got one wish that is supposed to come true by the end of the day…but is she supposed to do something to make it so? Does her destiny just happen to her, or does she have to help it along?

Switching back and forth between narration of Ruby on Bunning Day and flashbacks of things that have happened in Ruby’s last few months, we only get the details of Ruby’s story at about the same pace she’s working it out herself. We know early on that her grandmother has died, but it takes longer to figure out exactly what she has done that’s so terrible and how she’s going to make it right.

This was a sweet book. I liked the characters, but when it was over I kind of wanted a little bit more of the story. If you enjoyed A Crooked Kind of Perfect or How to Steal a Dog or anything by Polly Horvath, this book is a good fit for you. ( )