The Friendship Experiment: An Empowering STEM Story for Children (Ages 10-12) About Finding the Formula for Friendship

by Erin Teagan

Future scientist Madeline Little is dreading the start of middle school. Nothing has been right since her grandfather died and her best friend changed schools. Maddie would rather help her father in his research lab or write Standard Operating Procedures in her lab notebook than hang out with a bunch of kids who aren’t even her friends. Despite Maddie’s reluctance, some new friends start coming her way—until they discover what she’s written in that secret notebook. And that’s just part of the trouble. Can this future scientific genius find the formula for straightening out her life?

Genres: Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction, Friendship, Fiction, Childrens, Young Adult, Contemporary

256 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2016

Reviews

[Book Riot Community]

Middle school, friendship disasters, and science make up this delightful debut by Erin Teagan. Madeline Little is an aspiring scientist who carries cotton swabs with her everywhere and grows cultures in petri dishes in her bedroom closet. She can’t wait to be a world famous scientist… but she has to get through middle school first. I loved this sweet and funny book!

–Karina Glaser


from The Best Books We Read In January 2017: http://bookriot.com/2017/02/01/riot-r...

[Victoria Coe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an advance readers copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Friendship Experiment is a great middle grade book full of heart and humor and SCIENCE! Budding scientist Maddie Little is starting middle school. She doesn't have her best friend, but she does have standard operating procedures (SOPs) that she writes in her secret lab notebook and uses to navigate scary situations, big and small.

From How To Get Out of a Boring Tea Party with a Known Thief to How to Fake Sleep to Get Out of a Conversation with Your Mother About Your Social Life to How to Tell if Your Best Friend is Still Your Best Friend, Maddie's got everything covered... until her notebook winds up in the wrong hands.

Reminiscent of Harriet the Spy, this fun story will definitely appeal to middle grade readers! Highly recommend!

[Jenn Bishop · Rating 5 out of 5]

Things haven't been super great for Maddie since she started middle school. She still misses her grandfather, who recently passed away. Not to mention her best friend, who's attending a different school than she is for the first time. And having random nosebleeds due to a disorder that runs in the family doesn't make things any easier.

What Maddie always has, though, is science. Like her father and her grandfather before her, Maddie is a scientist. (And okay, this does mean she swabs random stuff to see what kinds of mold it grows, which some of the other kids thing is a little weird.) What helps Maddie get by is writing S.O.P.s, Standard Operating Procedures. It's as if she can make sense of the world around her better with those handy lists.

But in middle school, is science enough to get by on? Wouldn't it help to have some friends in her school? What's the formula for figuring out middle school, anyway?

So, to be blunt about it, I LOVED this book. Maddie's voice felt so real to me. I loved her family, too, and the complicated dynamics with her older sister. This budding tween scientist felt utterly authentic, as did her problems and how she tried (not always successfully) to manage them. And then there's heart. Ack! This book has heart in spades. I truly felt for Maddie and her struggle to fit in and be herself in the complicated world that is middle school.

One of my favorite middle grade books this year.

[Dee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love stories about friendship, so this one caught my eye right away. A lot of the book is more about understanding what friendship means, rather than watching a strong friendship in the works, and I enjoyed going along on the journey with the main character as she figures it out.

There's some fun science in here and also deeper themes related to loss and adjusting to changes in life. I especially loved the references to Maddie's relationship with her grandfather who has passed away before the book begins. As a reader, you feel how connected they were and how inspired she was by him.

Lots of funny moments and I loved Maddie and her unique voice and take on the world.

I received an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Lea · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was really so good. I'm glad I saw it just randomly scrolling through Destiny. Haha.

But, no; really, seriously; it perfectly emphasizes how to create an SOP (standard operating procedure) to find a best friend. In otherwords, there is no way to find a new best friend except to, like, go out of your comfort zone a bit, and make new friends.

Madeline realizes you can't use an SOP to solve everything. She tried and it led to a major downfall in middle school. (I want to say oof, but that would be rude.)

And sometimes, science fails. So... you know... you'll have to go out and discover something for yourself.

---------------------------------------------

Here are some last notes I had before I finished the book:

P.127:
I do exactly the opposite of what Grandpa would've done. I leave. One of the college kids grabs my shirt.
"Here's another," she says. And she's holding the nub of the smiley-face friendship pencil Elizabeth gave me last year.
"It's not mine," I lie.
Elizabeth, the traitor of all traitors, watches me as I walk away. Mom's right. Sometimes you just have to let things go.

-Yeah, sometimes life knocks you down, and you have to get back up no matter what.


P.160:
"Dad?" I'm terrified to ask anything. Is she okay? Did she tell them I left her? Can they make her stop bleeding?
"She's been using your nasal spray. Did you know that?"
My face flushes. "Yes. She told me today."
"Well, it's made her really sick."

Me: Well, it's her own fault. She's the firstborn daughter of a hematologist. You would expect her to know the most basic rule of... medicine, I guess, or how to properly treat any injury. Which is that YOU ONLY TAKE YOUR MEDICINE. No one else's. So therefore, I personally think that she got herself into this mess; she better get herself out.


P.168:
His entire house has been packed and sold, but someone forgot about this door in the attic. The most important one.
And I wonder if anyone will notice if I just sit in this tiny room forever.

-Aw, Madeline. They will. It feels like they won't, yes, I know the feeling. But the people who most care about you will always find out where you are. Because they care about you. In this case, it's your family, considering you're having a hard enough time in school, what with the downfall of some pretty huge mistakes and pretty much everyone knowing about your family disease, and everything else. But trust me, eventually they'll find you. Eventually. And if they don't, you'll get stronger. You will. Because you'll learn how to take care of yourself and you'll grow stronger from experience. It happened to me. I would know.


P.205-206:
Because how can you live your life by an SOP when there are so many variables? Brooke is right: There's no such thing as a friendship experiment. Or a middle school experiment. There's no formula. Life is too unpredictable, too complicated.

-Well, hey, you got THAT right. Life is way too unpredictable. Like I said before, it drops dirty little mind-destructing radioactive bombs on you, and you have to find a way out of the wreckage. Gosh, now this has started to sound like something I would write. That's a bit bad, ngl.


P.225:

-Well, it's kind of this whole page. But I guess especially at the bottom:

And maybe Mr. Sid would think it's fresh soil and Dad would think it's a chemical solution bubbling in the lab. But I know it's the color of love and of missing someone. And maybe it doesn't matter about regrets and houses and old cars, because maybe Grandpa's not missing anyone anymore.
And now I know how it feels to miss people now, too.

-It's really sad. This part is really sad. Because while everyone wants to be happy, there's always SOMETHING in life that makes you remember the happy your past was, even if that was mere seconds ago, or when you were first born.


P.229:

-Oh my gosh. Ohmygosh. Romanceeeeeeeeeee! Pretty much this whole page. Oh, yes, I just love teenage middle school/high school romance plots. Because while you get sucked in to the pages, as a writer, it's almost amusing to watch make-believe characters fall in love, and (right on timing. What? I know how to write (right?) Ahahaha.) all while knowing none of it is real.

"Hear you couldn't make the game today," Dexter says, like he's reading a script. He's kind of awkward without a soccer ball. "I want you to have this." Something is balled in his fist.
Brooke takes it, a giddy smile on her face, and shakes it out. It's Dexter's jersey, number 22, with all the grass and dirt stains a girl could want.
"Twenty-two!" the team shouts, making us all jump out of our seats.
"Hoot! Hoot!"
"Thank you." Brooke holds the jersey up for everyone to see. "I- it's- thank you." I've never seen her at a loss for words.
"No big deal," Dexter says, his face going burgundy. "We're having a real after-party this year. Um, next weekend." He hands her an envelope. "Check it out, and if you can make it or whatever, just let me know. See you at school and, you know, at lunch or something."

-Oh, my freaking gosh, THAT IS ADORABLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Just... the romance, yes, it's cheesy, but... I don't know... it's still pretty amusing. Ha.

[Stephanie Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maddie is hoping that the beginning of her twelfth year will be better than the ending of her eleventh. She’s grieving over the recent loss of her grandfather, and the imminent sale of his house. Her best friend is going to a new school, and Maddie is unsure how to cope with middle-school by herself. She’s always had difficulty with making friends, but this year it seems to be harder than ever. To top things off, she’s beginning to develop symptoms of the same disease her older sister suffers from, called Von Willebrand disease, one that makes for uncontrolled bleeding.
I think all middle-grade readers would relate well to Maddie. At that age, everyone wants to have that “special something” that they’re great at and really interested in, but no one wants to be singled out for being “different”. Having a disease that you’d like to keep a secret would only make things harder…
Oh, how I related to Maddie. She’s the “science geek”; I was the “book nerd”. (Still am!) I always wished for at least one person to like me and share my intense love of reading. I mentally cheered when Maddie’s friend situation began to improve! (Oh, and I was lucky enough in life to marry a fellow bibliophile!)

[Ashley Blake · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this heartwarming and funny book about a girl who loves science and is dealing with some big changes in her life, as well as a chronic illness she and her sister share. This book has everything I love about middle grade fiction--the importance of friendship, humor, a messy character who's learning who she is and how to move through the world. Throw in some petri dish experiments and and spider crickets, and this is a book I'll rec to everyone.

[Lee Malone · Rating 5 out of 5]

This fun and heartfelt book is about a young scientist who sees the word through her own scientific worldview. But faced with a lot of changes and issues in her life, she's forced to adjust to the way the world works — even if it's not all easily organized in her notebook of Standard Operating Procedures.

[Tom Malinowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Madeline Little wants to be a scientist and has high hopes to get there while in sixth grade. Her dad works at the nearby university laboratory. Dealing with the loss of her grandfather, starting a new school, making and possibly losing friends, and the fact that her and her sister have a blood disease is all weighing on Madeline so she deals with it the best way she can by writing SOPs, Standard Operating Procedures in her journal. When Madeline makes questionable choices, she needs to decide how best to rectify the situation and realize life is an ongoing experiment.

One of the best lines...

"Even the biggest messes can be fixed with a simple 'I'm sorry.' And the scarier it feels to say, the more it needs to be said."

True true.

[Laura Salas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Throw Harriet the Spy into a blender with The Fourteenth Goldfish, and you get The Friendship Experiment. Madeline has lots going on in her life, with her grandfather's death, the fact that her best friend is attending a different middle school, and the blood illness shared by several members of her family (which is full of scientists). Her attempts to hold on to things and people and to be a perfect scientist get her into lots of engaging trouble. She writes SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) for various processes in her life in an attempt to carry on her grandpa's SOPs (though his were about keeping things straight when Alzheimer's set in). Her SOPs are sometimes about the irritating people she has to deal with, and they aren't always kind. But they're honest, and she doesn't mean for the people they're about to ever see them. What I really like, though, is that Lucy is believably mean, in the sense that she's a bit insensitive and clueless at times, but she gets some self-awareness before I start to really hold it against her ("I hide my notebook in my backpack, because honestly, my SOPs sound kind of mean. I decide to write SOP fifty-six when I get home: How to Give to the Poor and Stuff." Ha!). A few other aha moments:

"Everyone in this whole world is weird."
"It's like I don't even know myself anymore."
"There's no formula. Life is too unpredictable, too complicated."

This book is a little bit predictable, but only in the satisfying way of having a character I've grown to care about figure out what's really important, which I hoped she'd do all along.

Review copy of book provided by the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maddie’s having a rough year. Her grandfather, who was a scientist just like she wants to be, has just died, and the family is forced to sell his house. If that weren’t bad enough, middle school is starting and her best friend is going to a private school instead of the public school Maddie will attend. To cope, Maddie turns to her first love: microbiology. She swabs for samples, keeps a lab notebook (which includes observations about everything and everyone) and begs for lab time. In the meantime, she must navigate her new school, the smart but oddball group of possible friends, and her family’s medical problems. Clearly, Maddie has never read Harriet the Spy, because it’s about this time that the famous diary plot device rises up and smacks her in the face. It’ll take some maturity, help from family, and an assist from a fungi to make things right. Recommended for 4th, 5th, and 6th graders especially.

[Aliyah Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aspiring scientist Madeline Little is having a difficult time. Her grandfather passed away, her best friend has switched schools, oh and she has a rare blood disorder; Von Willebrand Disease.

With her best friend gone, Madeline struggles to make new friends in middle school. It's especially difficult being around her ever so popular older sister Brooke.

Madeline copes through all this by writing SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) in her secret lab notebook. She's basically constantly writing lists for how to deal with things. Examples: How to Tell if Your Best Friend is Still Your Best Friend, How to Get Rid of Someone...you get the picture.

Throughout the book she learns the true meaning of friendship between sisters and friends.

[Tricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great read. I was fortunate to read an advanced reader copy of this book, and I'm so glad I got a chance to read. What a great premise, and who isn't a fan of science? Certainly, being twelve is hard, but the characters in this story can kids see that it's not so bad after all.

A great one to recommend this school year!

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read an E-ARC, provided by Edelweiss, of this middle grade story featuring girls who enjoy learning (and science). I found their experiences to be true-to-life, and I enjoyed the unique medical aspect of the story. I look forward to getting a hard copy so I can share it with my students.

[Sarah Threlkeld · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining coming of age story about a girl starting middle school who makes all kinds of mistakes and has to deal with the consequences. This will appeal to a lot of MG readers.

[Casey Lyall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Still reeling from the death of her grandfather and facing the start of middle school, Maddie is feeling lost. She falls back on what she knows - science. As she finds her way through new friendships and odd situations, she writes up her own SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) to help figure things out. When her new friends discover her methods, things get messy. This book was so sweet. Full of heart while nimbly navigating the trials and tribulations of middle school along with the rocky road of grief. An excellent read recommended for all.

[File de Poveste · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aceasta carte este una destul de speciala pentru mine , întrucât m-am regasit în Maddie Little si problema ei de a-si face prieteni , si cât de neasteptata poate fi uneori viata la gimnaziu . Aceasta carte eu o recomand micilor biologi în devenire , copiilor care tocmai au intrat în gimnaziu .
A fost extrem de usor de lectoraat , pe alocuri amuzanta . Mi-a placut cum autoarea a îmbinat viata de familie si cum a reprezentat-o pe aceasta , cum aceasta tema a fost abordata cu mare pricepere .

[Aidan Bromm · Rating 3 out of 5]

In my opinion, this book is okay. The plot is interesting and relatable (many of the events in the book have actually happened to me). I personally feel that the main character's personality is unpleasant, but it fits with all of the events that occurred. The only issue that really draws me away from the book is how wordy and boring it gets at some points.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of my students kept telling me how great this book was and how she wanted me to read it so she let me borrow it (love this kid - she’s adorable).

[Kate Willis]

I was really enjoying the unique (probably autistic) MC, but the medical and relational storylines were just stressing me out too much so I skimmed to the end.

[Arabella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Its quite a good book

[Amy Bearce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Captures the beginning of sixth grade and tricky friendship situations very well. I liked that there were plenty of adults in the story who were pretty realistic and loving.

[Brandy Painter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally posted here at Random Musings of a Bibliophile.

I always feel bad for books that come out in November/December. They often get lost in the shuffle as Best of Year lists are made at this time and many are too busy to read new books. If you're not paying attention, it is easy to miss these books entirely. The Friendship Experiment by Erin Teagan is one such book. It is delightful and one of those books that naturally attracts middle grade readers yet I haven't seen many people mention it.

Madeline is dealing with a lot right now for one sixth grader. Her beloved grandfather just died. She is about to start middle school without her best friend by her side. She has a rare blood disorder that causes unpredictable nosebleeds that are difficult to stop. There is a new girl who experienced Maddie's dream of going to Space Camp and won't stop talking about it. Then there is her popular cheerleader older sister and her parents who don't seem to understand how her world is crashing down around her. In order to cope, Madeline begins writing SOPs in her science journal. Operating Procedures on how to avoid people who annoy you and how to survive losing your best friend are nice things to have in your head, but soon discovers the dangers of writing all the things you keep inside your head down on paper as her life spins even more out of her control.

The Friendship Experiment is told in Madeline's first person point of view and being in her head is wonderful. She is a fully realized very human character. She is a little neurotic, compulsive, and anxious. She is incredibly smart and wants to be a scientist more than anythings. She swabs things and grows super gross bacteria in her bedroom. Her greatest flaw (and it is great) is her carelessness with other people's feelings. Part of what makes Madeline's voice so authentic is how wrapped up in her self she is and how she sees everyone as an extension of herself. They matter in how they relate to her and not as individuals, which is text book middle schooler. The power in the book is how Maddie grows, changes, and learns over the course of the story.

All of Madeline's relationships are important and this is a book where the plot is entirely driven by character relationships and interactions. Yes, a lot of things happen and it is a fast paced read because of this, but those things revolve around people. It is a short book at 241 pages and yet Teagen did an amazing job at developing so many relationships and showing their impact on Maddie's existence and her impact on their lives. Grandparents, parents, siblings, friends, acquaintance-all of these relationships are explored and it is done with heart, humor, and insight. I particularly appreciate how chock-full of nerdy science girls this book is, and how it showcases everyone is a little weird about something. I also liked how none of those nerdy science girls were reduced to stereotypes. They all are different and have multiple things going on.

The Friendship Experiment is a fairly typical MG school/friend story, but it is one that excels at what it is trying to do and I think will have wide appeal to kids who love those sorts of stories.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Received an ARC of this book. Madeline Little is starting middle school, just after her beloved grandfather who lived up the street died. Her cheerleader sister Brooke moved out of their shared bedroom into the basement laundry room. Her best friend Elizabeth is going to the private middle school instead of the public school that Madeline will be attending. Madeline is very interested in science, just like her father, and not too interested in tofu and hemp clothing like her mother.To cope, Madeline writes SOPs ( Standard Operating Procedures) in her science notebook, which she learned from her grandfather. Trouble is, she realizes that her own SOPs are mean, not helpful and kind like her grandfather's. And then she realizes that her new friends read the notebook that she left at her new friend Riley's house, and now no one is talking to her. She gets to help out in her dad's lab as he tries to find a cure for a bleeding disorder called Von Willebrand Disease, which runs in their family. She accidentally lets a rare, expensive enzyme defrost that might derail the experiments on the same day that her sister has a serious episode with the disease that leads to Brooke leaving school in an ambulance. Madeline's grandmother strongly encourages Madeline to set all things right at the annual Pumpkin Festival. Will everyone accept her apology?
Middle school is a turbulent time of school, friends, family, and this title showed that you can really mess up and feel like you have let everyone down, but you can also put in the work to fix it.
I liked the 'girl power' message that you shoul do what you want, be it swabbing surfaces to learn what bacteria are on them, read encyclopedias, spell out your conversations since you are a spelling bee champ, or teach middle school students to love and care for the earth. The gentle romance of Brooke and Dexter added interest, but felt that the soccer boys giving their jerseys to a girl at the Pumpkin Game was steeped in 1950s chauvinism.

[Elaine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won a copy of The Friendship Experiment from a Goodreads Giveaway.

Eleven-year old Madeline Little is an intelligent, inquisitive and the next Marie Curie in the making. She is going through a few difficult changes in her life; switching to a new middle school that lacks the resources that recognize her brilliance, mourning the loss of her beloved scientist grandfather, fretting about her own father who is working hard to seek a cure for the family's genetic disease, her own turbulent relationship with her teen sister, Brooke and the growing pains that come with growing up, making new friends and realizing that science is not an exact science after all.

The Friendship Experiment was a treat to read. I don't think I've ever read a book where the main character loves science as much as I love to read. Usually, the main characters in these books are obsessed with being popular, boys and friends (not necessarily in that order). Madeline was not quite Harriet the Spy since holding a notebook does not make it so, but her acute observations does get her into a bit of trouble.

I liked Madeline and her quirky family, even her oddball friends were hilarious though I sympathize completely with Madeline when some of their antics drove her kind of mad. The point is we are all weird in our own way and that's a good thing (unless you spell every conversation out, then that's just super annoying).

The issues Madeline and her family dealt with were not horribly dark and tragic, thankfully, but honest and real, issues most of us have had to deal with at some point in our lives, no matter our ages.

In the end, Madeline learns (as do we the readers) that there is no Standard Operating Procedure for growing up, for the changes and obstacles life puts in your way, that life itself is weird and funny and scary and happy and though you can't always prepare for every and anything that may happen, you can get through it by being kind and accepting of the people you love and want in your life.

[Tasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maddie isn’t looking forward to middle school. Her grandfather died over the summer and they are clearing out his house to prep it for sale. Her best friend has changed schools too. Maddie enjoyed writing Standard Operating Procedures for her grandfather, helping him cope with his dementia as his Alzheimer’s progressed. So she continues to write SOPs in her lab notebook and carry it with her all the time. She brings it to middle school and starts to document ways to cope with middle school and with the kids she eats lunch with. Meanwhile, middle school becomes a mix of good and bad. Maddie is allowed to work in the college’s science lab with her father. But her blood clotting disorder starts to flare up more, though not as much as her older sister’s. Maddie gets into a serious fight with her best friend, and manages to anger the new kids she has just started to become friends with. It’s clear that middle school is going to take a lot more experimenting to get right.

Teagan writes with a solid and consistent tone in this middle grade novel. Her touch is light and filled with humor, offering a way to see past the disasters that Maddie is facing in middle school. She weaves Maddie’s interest in science throughout the story. It is more than a hobby for Maddie, it’s a way of life. From her swabs of bacteria to the way she looks at projects, Maddie faces it all as a scientist.

Maddie is a warm and wonderful protagonist, still she is also entirely human. She makes plenty of mistakes in this novel, managing to lose all of her friends at once through actions all her own. She can be angry, impulsive, and inflexible and still readers will enjoy the time they spend with her and her scientific mind. The topic of hemophilia and the way the disorder is used in the novel is intelligently done, creating yet another source of angst and separation for Maddie.

A strong STEM novel that deftly shows that girls and science mix very well. No experiments needed to prove that hypothesis. Appropriate for ages 10-12.

[Kathy MacMillan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Madeline Little believes that every problem, from a scientific experiment to navigating friendships, can be addressed with a standard operating procedure. As a scientist, it's how she imposes order on her world. But her expectations are upended when she has to face middle school without her best friend and without her beloved grandfather. Her family's life has always been shaped by Von Willebrand disease, the bleeding disorder that she and her sister share, and which her father and grandfather made their life's work. But now her sister Brooke is displaying worse and worse symptoms, and Maddie's determination to become a world-famous microbiologist is tempered by the setbacks she faces when she tries to help out in her father's lab. Teagan paints a painfully accurate picture of a logical, fact-loving girl thrown into the emotional whirl of middle school. I loved the way that the story gives no easy answers, and when Madeline tries to repair her relationships, not everyone comes around. With the help of her family and a few good friends, she is able to find her way back to what matters to her, but it comes with a painful lesson: there is no standard operating procedure for life.

[Laurie]

HARRIET THE SPY meets THE THING ABOUT JELLYFISH in this humorous and poignant novel about science-obsessed Madeline Little, who is missing her only friend, grieving her grandfather's death, and managing a chronic illness that she and her sister both have as she begins sixth grade. Maddie is realistically flawed, adorably prickly, and completely endearing. I was fascinated with the genetic condition that runs in Maddie's family and the way her scientist father and grandfather have dedicated themselves to trying to cure it, and I loved reading about Maddie's realistic, up-and-down relationships with her sister and friends.

[Rachel Grover · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute story about Maddie who starts sixth grade dealing with family and friendship issues. The mixture of her being a budding scientist, along with an annoying but loveable sister is perfect for MG readers today. An easy one to booktalk and recommend to girls coping with similar issues. This book is a great answer to "What should I read next?" for readers of The Fourteenth Goldfish and The Thing about Jellyfish. On order for my MS library.

[Moira · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing book--fascinating subject, different approach to the difficulties of middle school friendships and so full of heart! I totally related to it. And I loved the interweaving of science--brilliant!