Mr. Universe

When Michael goes to stay with his brilliant (and somewhat quirky) scientist uncle Henry, things seem ordinary enough. That is, until he messes with something that his uncle calls a ‘quantum multiverse transporter’ and finds himself in a parallel universe! 

This new Kingston looks very similar to the one Michael knows, but everything is just slightly…off. The cars have three wheels, the phones are round, and no one knows what a pocket is! When Michael meets Emily, another girl of his age, he follows her to school, hoping to work out what’s happening to him. Danger soon finds the pair, as they are accosted by the ‘gray men’—tall, scary-looking men with gray suits, lizard eyes, and razor-sharp shark-like teeth, who seem to want to erase Michael and Emily from existence.

The two teens manage to escape with their lives, but not before witnessing one of Emily’s friends, Mike, disappear completely after getting ‘erased’ by the gray men. Michael and Emily soon work out what must be happening—Emily is from another universe too, and these gray men, who keep saying that the kids ‘weigh too much’, are trying to get them out of this parallel universe where they don’t belong and restore the balance. 

Michael and Emily make their way to ‘Uncle Henry’s’ house, where they meet this universe’s resident mad scientist—Aunt Henry! Together, the three manage to devise a plan and successfully send Michael back home, save Emily (who doesn’t have a universe to go back to) from the gray men, and restore balance to the multiverse.

Mr. Universe is a fun, gripping, and funny science fiction story. The sci-fi elements are wonderfully represented, including just enough ‘explanation’ to make sense without bogging the plot down. The characters are fun and engaging, and the interactions between Uncle and Aunt Henry at the end of the story are particularly entertaining. This book is perfect for lovers of sci-fi and those new to the genre alike.

Science fiction, multiverse, parallel universe, big bang, science, quantum physics

1. Michael has a crush on Emily. He mentions trying not to think about her naked (p. 30) in a reference to Terminator, but there’s nothing else.2. The story centres around classic science fiction ideas like the multiverse, teleportation, and ‘aliens’. 3. Michael, Emily, and Aunt Henry fight the gray men at the end of the story, with Aunt Henry smacking them around with a broom. (p. 109-111). The characters frequently reference being ‘erased’ by the custodians, but this lacks any graphic description or explanation. 4. Uncle Henry tells Michael not to drink his beer (p. 11). 5. Language: ‘face suck’ (Michael referring to his parents kissing, p. 7).