Book Review: The Categorical Universe of Candice Phee by Barry Jonsberg
Publisher: Chronicle Books
By Esther Brantley
This was an interesting book that featured a weird character, Douglas Benson from another dimension, and I’d never read a book with someone from another dimension. (Note to reader: Esther is 12 years old.) That said, this book is not my favorite book.
The name of each chapter was set up cool. The author made each chapter start with the letters of the alphabet.
There were 26 chapters that went from A to Z. For example, one chapter name was called “H is for Happiness.” That chapter then talked about happiness in Candice Phee’s life.
It’s cool how Candice reads the dictionary. Not many kids do that. Well, basically no kids do that. She also wanted everyone around her to be happy. She tried so hard to make as many people as possible happy. Her mom and dad, her rich Uncle Brian, Douglas Benson from another dimension, and her English teacher - she wants them to all be happy!
This book also had things I didn’t care for. It was slow at times and didn’t really make me want to read it all the time, unlike other books where I want to read continually without stopping. It wasn’t so bad that I wouldn’t read it, but I just didn’t really want to keep reading it.
I also didn’t like the program Candice’s Dad makes. When explaining it to Candice, he says, “Why should we be content with one life, when there are an infinite number available?” I didn’t like this because it just doesn’t make sense. Besides, God gave us all life and we should be perfectly happy with just the one He gave us. Life is an amazing gift he has given us so we should be happy with it.
One more thing I thought was weird in this book was that Candice was so worried about Earth-Pig Fish’s religious life. She was worried he would think she was God and she didn’t want him thinking that. It was weird how she worried about that. I doubt fish have a religious life.
I would recommend this book to maybe middle school kids who like quirky books. I would give it two and one-half stars.
Esther Brantley