Octavia Boone's Big Questions About Life, the Universe, and Everything

Name: Octavia Boone's Big Questions About Life, the Universe, and Everything
Brand: Brilliance Audio
Availability: InStock
Author: Rebecca Rupp
ISBN: 9781441889447

Author: Rebecca Rupp

Narrator: Ellen Grafton

Unabridged: 3 hr 22 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Candlewick on Brilliance Audio

Published: 09/14/2010

Categories: Children's Fiction, Children's Social Themes

Synopsis

Octavia’s best friend, Andrew, wants to know why time runs forward instead of backward, or if it’s possible to talk to an alien jellyfish. Octavia has much bigger questions on her mind:Why do bad things happen, like Hurricane Katrina and 9/11?What is the meaning of life?Is there a God?Octavia’s father is convinced that art and Henry David Thoreau hold the key to life. Her mother, Ray, though, has always been seeking greater meaning—up until now. Octavia’s problem is not only that her parents have different answers to the big questions but that their answers are threatening to tear her family apart.Could it be that some questions are too big to have just one answer?Could it be that the universe is far wider than Octavia’s—or perhaps anyone’s—view of it?

About Rebecca Rupp

Rebecca Rupp is the author of Sarah Simpson's Rules for Living, Journey to the Blue Moon, The Dragon of Lonely Island, and The Return of the Dragon. She lives in Swanton, Vermont.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Betsy

One Sentence Review: Unfortunately unmemorable, passing up the chance to have a really interesting discussion about the role of religion in people's lives and instead making the age old claim that cults (or insular religions) are bad.......more

Goodreads review by Cheryl

Octavia has "big" problems as she prepares for 7th grade in rural Maine... Like how weird her name is. But her mom and dad are cool, and she has a best friend, Andrew. Everything is quirky and humorous. Dinner, the neighbors, (Mr and Mrs. Peacock, and he tolerates no "Tom-foolery), school... I'm ama......more

Goodreads review by Amy

I started reading this because the back advertised as a child wrestling with big issues like the existence of God and our purpose in life. I expected it to wrestle fairly with ideas. What it was was something I would equate to the Coexist bumper sticker, which touts every other religion as loving an......more

Goodreads review by Deanna

Octavia Boone's mother, flighty Vermont lawyer, is always searching for fulfillment. Flitting from one church to the next but never landing in any one place. When she becomes enamored with a fundamentalist Christian church "The Redeemers" both Octavia and her Dad believe it is just the latest fad un......more

Goodreads review by Susan Dove

I didn't completely buy the sudden and complete way that Octavia's mother Ray fell in with the Redeemers, and I also thought the author wanted to have it both ways--that it was a crazy cult, and that it had a kind and thoughtful pastor. But the pastor was a great character, and so was Octavia, and I......more