Dory Fantasmagory: Center of the Universe

Dory Fantasmagory #7

by Abby Hanlon

Watch out, soccer—here comes Dory! The wildly popular rascal is back in a story about confidence, competition, and . . . the cosmos.

Dory has the skills, she has the drive, and she has the lightning bolt cleats to lead her team to victory. Then she meets Valentina. Valentina has double lightning bolts on her cleats. She doesn’t whiff when she kicks the ball. And she says she was swatting a bee, not slowing Dory down, when Dory nearly beat her at Red Light Green Light. To make matters more confusing, everyone seems to love Valentina’s ideas more than they love Dory’s. So when even Dory’s imaginary nemesis, Mrs. Gobble Gracker, appears to lose interest in terrorizing her, Dory knows it’s time for an emergency call to her fairy godmother, Mr. Nuggy. But she couldn't have guessed who'd be listening in. This soccer situation just took on cosmic proportions!

Brimming with hilarity and you’ll-never-guess twists and turns, Dory discovers that the universe is way bigger than she thought—so big, there might be space for two friends at the center of it.

Genres: Juvenile, Fiction, Sports, Childrens

160 pages, Hardcover

Published October 7, 2025

About the author

Abby Hanlon is the author and illustrator of Dory Fantasmagory, a series of chapter books for five to nine year olds, published by Dial/Penguin Random House. The first book in the series was named a Best Book of the Year by Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, and Parent's Magazine. It won a Golden Kite Honor for Fiction and is an American Library Association Notable Book. The sequel, Dory and The Real True Friend won a 2015 Cybil award. The books have been translated in twenty-four languages and are Junior Library Guild selections.

Abby has a bachelor's from Barnard College and a master's degree in childhood education from the City College of New York. Abby has taught creative writing and first grade in the New York City public school system. Her debut picture book, Ralph Tells a Story (2012), is widely used by elementary school teachers. Abby illustrated the picture book, Chester Van Chime Who Forgot How to Rhyme, written by Avery Monsen (2022). Chester Van Chime is a 2023 Bank Street College Best Books pick and a Good Housekeeping Best Kids’ Books of 2022 selection.

Abby lives with her family in Brooklyn, NY.

Reviews

[Jenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dory Fantasmagory might just be my favorite character in all of kid lit.

[Donna Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was skeptical at first, but now I get why this series is so popular.

In this story, Dory AKA Rascal seems to have met her match, a new rival named Valentina. They're on the same soccer team, so she'll have to figure out a way to get along. This zany character's antics and her odd friends are sure to elicit laughter from any reader.

This is the perfect bridge into chapter books. With childlike drawings and speech bubbles throughout for a hybrid reading experience that makes a chapter book much more exciting and accessible.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

My almost 5-year old loves this series. I like the playful pencil drawings and the imaginative playfulness of the book. I did not care for George’s baby voice (though ultimately this was explained/justified but still irritated me). The chapters are a bit lengthy for a read aloud but still enjoyable. Chapter 3 of this particular book was probably my favorite of the whole series so far- endearing and relatable. I still feel mixed about recommending this book because it’s not the best for behavior modeling, but kids will get a kick out of it.

[J.Elle · Rating 1 out of 5]

We are officially done reading and collecting this series. This book was pitiful.

[Our Weekend Is Booked · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dory Fantasmagory: Center of the Universe is the seventh book in this hilarious series featuring Dory, a 6-year-old with a vivid imagination. Dory often believes the universe revolves around her, and in this story, she learns to share the spotlight, especially when she joins a soccer team and navigates a new friendship or rivalry with her teammate, Valentina.

What I Liked:

This is a fantastic chapter book for young readers. It has short chapters that are broken up with black and white doodles and illustrations. The story moves at a fast pace, keeping the reader engaged.

Dory is lovable and relatable. Her animosity towards Valentina who is getting all the attention on the team, is something I can relate to, especially when Dory holds a grudge about a stick Valentina took from her years ago. Dory is spunky and is always getting into scrapes which makes for an interesting read.

Dory’s friends were a delightful addition to the story. Rosabelle's obsession with being old-fashioned, including wearing a bonnet and apron, had me giggling, especially when she refused to wear cleats for soccer. George and his baby regression also added a bit of silliness to an already humorous storyline.

Dory Fantasmagory: Center of the Universe is a delightful children’s book that will have young readers laughing out loud.

This review first appeared on YA Books Central and can be found here: https://yabookscentral.com/dory-fanta...

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dory Fantasmagory is a series that has captured the heart of my youngest child and has grown on me. The series was recommended by a librarian and I picked up the first one. The book is chaotic, random, and wild…just like a preschooler/kindergartener. That first book was a bit problematic as there was a lot of shaming, fighting, etc. among the older siblings towards Dory. The rest of the series has proven to have much more heart, a better development of Dory and and why she is the way that she is. Even the chaotic nature is a nice reprieve from the monotonous formulaic nature of most other books for emerging readers (if Jack and Annie have one more adventure that is EXACTLY like all the others but in a different setting, I may scream!).

This installment, in particular, is fun for me as an adult who has watched (and assisted with coaching) children this age learn to play soccer and I can attest this is absolutely nonfiction. We read the whole book in one sitting and my little one laughed out loud.

[Meredith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dory meets her match in tall tale telling and over the top behavior when she joins the soccer team.

I enjoyed this installment much more than the previous one book in this series.

The conflict is Dory’s rivalry with Valentina, her soccer teammate who has an equal talent for telling reality-bending stories, which gives Dory unwelcome competition for being the center of attention. Dory’s fairy Godmother, Mr. Nuggy, decides to disconnect the banana phone and insists on being contacted via bubbles instead. Dory’s friend Rosabelle switches from princess to pioneer, and Dory’s friend George regresses to baby behavior because his mother is pregnant with twins, and he is not adjusting to his changing family role. Dory’s imaginary nemesis Mrs Gobble Gracker is not as interested in Dory and has developed a love for space travel, and aliens intercept bubble messages and want to play soccer, too.

[Sarah Uren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gifted this latest of the Dory series to our four year old son for Christmas, and have read it about 7 times this week!
To say we ADORE DORY is an understatement. Abby Hanlon KNOWS kids and the thoughts that go through their adults heads-and has an uncanny ability to write about the nuisances of day-to-day with incredibly accuracy! It's laugh-out-loud for adults and kids alike.

Not only is the writing hilarious and situations totally believable, Hanlon ran a contest for this book, asking readers to submit their best quotes to be placed throughout the book. Our 9 year old friend has a quote in one of the last chapters! How sweet!!

If you adore life with kids, but get tired on occasion, this is for YOU and them too!

[Dorry · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't like this one like I loved the others. It was disappointing actually. the almost swear word of Oh Fudge, the way George was a baby, all the "identity" crises were very annoying to me.
I also wish Mr. Nuggy wasn't wearing a dress. Is the author caving to wokeness and adding it to her books more and more?

I give it two stars because it was still imaginative and my kids enjoyed it. I just wished it was more like the previous books and less trying to appeal to crowds who identify with that which they are not.

[Juliann Sturgeon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Abby Hanlon’s Dory Fantasmagory is as adorable and hilarious as ever in this latest (and hopefully not final!) book in the series. Hanlon captures the humor, imagination, and heart that make Dory such a standout character for young readers. My second graders absolutely love this series, and they were so excited for this new addition. It’s a classroom favorite that never fails to bring smiles and giggles—pure magic for kids and teachers alike!

[Panda Incognito · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely hilarious! I loved this new story, and especially got a kick out of Dory's friend becoming obsessed with dressing and talking like she's from a long-ago time period. There's so much going on in this book, and it's all delightful. I also love how this series keeps aging Dory up slightly, showing growth and change in both her real life and imaginary adventures.

[Cate Holden · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this book for my seven year old sef. I loved this series when I was little, so I saw this and decided to read it. This book was painful! The characters were so annoying! Why did I like these books?

[Cora · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another winner from Abby Hanlon! Dory is my favorite fictional wild child.

[Steph · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dory is just the absolute best. 🥰

[Efox · Rating 5 out of 5]

We love Dory!

This time Dory is feeling off because she is not the center of the Universe. Not even Mrs. Gobblegracker wants to chase her. It was wild. But also very fun.

The illustrations are great, the story was fun and I know I can't be greedy, but more Dory please.

Now back to my regularly scheduled re-read of the previous 6 books.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't count how many times I laughed out loud while reading this. My favorite of the series for sure!

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Abby Hanlon has such an intrinsic understanding of how children's minds work. It's wonderful. These books are consistently warm and hilariously funny.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun story, but seemed to end quite abruptly!

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just love Dory and her world so much.

[Suzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh I just love Dory! I wish the ending had a little more substance to it, but the kids’ antics throughout the entire book were so relatable and spot-on. Another great adventure from Abby Hanlon!

[Rachell O. · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Stars all the way! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

[Tim Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

As Dory grows older, she's losing the things that made her so special.

[Tori · Rating 3 out of 5]

My least favorite of the series but we still cruised through it in one sitting with giggles along the way

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

love this series!

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

It wasn’t the best of the series but I still liked it

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

The newest Dory did not disappoint. She is our forever favorite.

Eliana’s review: “10/10! I liked that she was sworn enemies and then made friends at the end with Valentina.”

[Nick · Rating 5 out of 5]

How Abby Hanlon keeps churning out books of the same high quality is beyond me. I think this might be the funniest Dory yet.