Hi everyone! Today is my stop on the Book Tour for Down to Earth by Betty Culley, a middle grade adventure that publishes on the 24 August 2021. Thank you to TBR and Beyond Tours for a review copy so that I could join this tour. The full tour schedule can be found here. I’m giving a sneak peek into the book with some of my reading reactions, and you can check out the other stops on the tour for full book reviews. Without further ado, here’s the book blurb and 15 reactions I had while reading Down to Earth.
Blurb
Counting by 7s meets See You in the Cosmos in this heartwarming coming-of-age story perfect for the budding geologists and those fascinated by the mysteries of the universe.
Henry has always been fascinated by rocks. As a homeschooler, he pours through the R volume of the encyclopedia (to help him identify the rocks he finds). So, when a meteorite falls in his family’s field, who better to investigate than this rock enthusiast–with his best friend, James, and his little sister, Birdie, in tow, of course. But soon after the meteorite’s arrival, the water in Henry’s small Maine town starts drying up. It’s not long before news spreads that the space rock and Henry’s family might be to blame. Henry is determined to defend his newest discovery, but his knowledge of geology could not have prepared him for how much this stone from the sky would change his community, his family, and even himself. Science and wonder abound in this middle-grade debut about an inquisitive boy and the massive rock that came down to Earth to reshape his life.
15 Reactions While Reading Down to Earth
1. I never knew what dowsing meant before. Apparently, it’s a method used to search for underground water, minerals, ley lines or anything invisible. Henry’s Dad is the sort of dowser that finds veins of water deep underground.
2. They call them the terrible twos, but I think two-year-olds are adorable, and Henry’s sister, Birdie, is adorable.
3. I love books with libraries, and this one has a town library complete with shelves that go up to the ceiling, and a metal ladder that slides on a track. This is 100% my kind of library.
4. It’s incredible that meteorites are rocks from space, and one landing in my backyard would have fascinated me as a child as much as they fascinate ten-year-old Henry.
5. Henry makes homeschooling sound like so much fun.
6. I miss museums, and visiting one with Henry in the book was a joy.
7. Ployes are a type of pancake, and I can’t believe I’ve never heard of them before.
8. Birdie is adorable. Yep, I thought this multiple times.
9. This is a kid who knows his rocks. Henry, that is. Even I learned a thing or two.
10. Stardust is magical
11. What item would you save if you had to quickly vacate your house? For me, it would be my phone. My folders of scribbled musings too. And any photographs that aren’t backed up somewhere (if I had the time).
12. This quote was everything: “What is most important is not always the answers, but the questions. Keep asking the questions”
13. This book is PACKED with science that any budding geologist would love.
14. It made me think of the people we meet when we were young that influence us. For me, it was my high school English teacher.
15. The largest meteorite ever discovered landed in Namibia and weighed 60 tonnes!
I enjoyed delving into Henry’s mind and discovering the meteorite along with him. This really is a lovely book for budding geologists but also any adult who wants to read a book and feel like a kid again. Add it to your goodreads shelf here.
About the author
Betty Culley’s debut novel in verse Three Things I Know I True, was a Kids’ Indie Next List Top Ten Pick, an ALA-YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults Nominee, an ALA-YALSA Quick Pick, and a Junior Library Guild selection. Her first middle-grade novel, Down to Earth, is inspired by her fascination with meteorites, voyagers from another place and time. She’s an RN who worked as an obstetrics nurse and as a paediatric home hospice nurse. She lives in central Maine, where the rivers run through the small towns.
You can visit her website or find her on Twitter or Instagram.
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