Down to Earth, Betty Culley
Down to Earth, Betty Culley
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Down to Earth

Author: Betty Culley

Narrator: Lincoln Hoppe

Unabridged: 5 hr 55 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 08/24/2021


Synopsis

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.

About The Author

Betty Culley's debut YA novel in verse, Three Things I Know Are True, was a Kids' Indie Next List Top Ten Pick and an ALA-YALSA Quick Pick. Her first middle-grade novel, Down to Earth, is inspired by her fascination with meteorites, voyagers from another place and time. She's worked as a pediatric nurse and lives in a small town in central Maine. You can find her online at bettyculley.com.


Reviews

Goodreads review by mesal on September 04, 2021

Thank you to NetGalley as well as TBR and Beyond Tours for providing me with a free eARC of this book. I love well-written middle-grade stories, and this was just one of those. It follows Henry Bower, a ten-year-old boy born into a family of dowsers and hoping to become one himself; however, he's afr......more

Goodreads review by Rajiv on August 29, 2021

[Blog]::[Youtube]::[Twitter]::[Instagram]::[Pinterest]::[Bloglovin] “Down to Earth” is a fascinating, middle-grade adventure that makes you feel in awe of the Universe, and I loved reading it! There are many reasons why I adored reading this book. For starters, I loved Henry and his curiosity and......more

Goodreads review by Kaela on October 20, 2020

It's impossible for me to overstate how much I love this special, quietly magical book about Henry, a Maine boy from a long line of water dowsers ("water witches") as he is learning to navigate his community and family, and the larger cosmos. It’s a book I want always to be on my shelf, a book I loo......more

Goodreads review by Brooke on September 12, 2021

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy. This is in no way shown in my review. “The universe is too big to imagine, but from all that distance, it brought me a stone from the sky.” Down to Earth was a delight! The writing style was super light, and by the end I was thinking l......more

Goodreads review by Elizabeth on August 27, 2021

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Children’s for the ARC of this in exchange for my honest review This was absolutely adorable! I feel like it’s hard to find stories with homeschooled kids, especially positive portrayals, so this was really exciting to me - I’ll definitely be suggesting it to my......more


Quotes

"A captivating middle-grade novel.” –Booklist, Starred Review

"This is the perfect match for middle graders starting to sort through what we do know, what we don’t know yet, and what might be unknowable.” –The Bulletin

"Heartwarming and absorbing." -School Library Journal

"Fun and exciting from start to finish." -CentralMaine.com


Awards

  • Green Earth Book Award
  • Maine Library Association Lupine Award - Juvenile/Young Adult
  • Maine Student Book Award