The Probability of Everything

The Probability of Everything

Sarah Everett

Harper Collins, 2023

326 pages

Grades 5-7
Realistic Fiction

Kemi is enjoying a typical Sunday morning breakfast with her family when something crazy happens. They discover that a giant asteroid will hit the earth in a mere matter of days. Kemi, a probability expert, learns that AMPLUS-68 has an 84.7% chance of hitting Earth, which are not good odds. Mom & Dad leave Kemi and her toddler sister with a neighbor until their aunt picks them up and whisks them to her house so the whole family can wait out the end of the world together. Safe within the confines of her family, Kemi undertakes a project to put together a time capsule of everything that is important to all of her family members. She hopes to bury it in order for any future civilizations to have a record of them and their lives. As the days tick by we learn about what is important to individuals in Kemi's family, but something seems off. Finally, it is the last day of the world and the worst happens--only it is not exactly as the reader was led to believe and in some ways the truth is much worse.

This is a great book that has affected many young readers to the point that I felt compelled to read it myself. I love the premise and Everett had me at the first page. I also love an unreliable narrator and once I started to see the cracks in Kemi's story and suspected that there was more there, I started turning pages quickly to get to the reveal. The book is a tearjerker and will appeal to kids who love sad problem novels, of which my library has many. Everett packs an emotional punch, while bringing current social issues into sharp focus and making them personal. Readers will learn what it is like to walk in someone else's uncomfortable shoes, all while being challenged to ask themselves how they would handle the end of the world. The author does a great job developing her characters and I appreciate that Kemi is interested in math and statistics. Readers will feel like a part of this family and genuinely care about what happens to them. Hand it to middle grade kids that love an emotional tale that pulls at the heartstrings, yet offers substance over fluff.