Title: The Infinite Lives of Maisie Day
Author: Christopher Edge
Genre: Middle Grade Science Fiction
Number of Pages: 161
Rating: B+
Recommended?: Yes
Maisie is a child prodigy living with her family in England. She’s obsessed with physics and wants a nuclear reactor for her birthday. Her older sister Lily is jealous of her intelligence and all the attention she gets, and Lily’s friends are also mean to her. Maisie is so ahead of her peers she has an at-home tutor instead of going to school, leaving her isolated and unable to make and keep friends.
On Maisie’s birthday she goes downstairs and nobody’s home. Weird things start happening and it’s like a black hole is swallowing the house, with each room disappearing into nothingness. Then we get an alternate timeline where her birthday starts normally, until she and Lily are struck by a life-changing event. The Infinite Lives of Maisie Day is a unique, high-concept little novel with a genuinely surprising twist.
It didn’t have as much character development as I would have liked and jumps almost immediately into the main plot, instead of giving us time to get to know Maisie. In some ways Lily was actually the more interesting character. I love the idea of the multiverse, I don’t know, I’m not a scientist by any means but it’s one of those things that just makes sense to me. I’m constantly thinking about everything I do branching out into all these different possibilities.
The ending is a little unsettling, but in a good way. I was getting those (PG-rated) Black Mirror vibes. Accessible for kids without dumbing down its themes, The Infinite Lives of Maisie Day is an enjoyable and sometimes thought-provoking book with a likable protagonist. The author’s distinctive combination of science fiction and middle grade family drama entertained me throughout and got me interested in reading some of his other books.
Sarah's Corner 