Der Tag, an dem mir ein kleines schwarzes Loch zulief

by Michelle Cuevas

Der elfjährigen Stella läuft das ungewöhnlichste Haustier aller Zeiten zu: ein kleines schwarzes Loch. Kurzerhand nennt sie es Larry. Und Larry hat großen Hunger. Enorm praktisch, findet Stella: Ab ins schwarze Loch mit den kratzigen Pullis, weg mit den Hausaufgaben, dem ekligen Rosenkohl und weg mit allem, was sie schmerzlich an ihren verstorbenen Vater erinnert. Doch dann verschwindet der Familienhund in Larry unendlichem galaktischen Bauch. Stella muss ihn retten! Mit einer Badewanne als Raumschiff begibt sie sich auf eine wilde Reise durch das Universum.

Genres: Middle Grade, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Fiction, Grief, Childrens, Family

224 pages, Hardcover

First published September 12, 2017

About the author

Michelle Cuevas is an award-winning author of children’s literature. She graduated from Williams College and holds a Master of Fine Arts degree in creative writing from the University of Virginia, where she received the Henry Hoyns Fellowship.

Cuevas is the author of eight books for young people, most recently the 2023 Indie-List Bestseller, The Dreamatics. Her other books include Massachusetts Book Award-winning novel, The Care and Feeding of a Pet Black Hole, national best seller  The Uncorker of Ocean Bottles illustrated by Caldecott medalist Erin E. Stead, and international best seller  Confessions of an Imaginary Friend. Her books have been named best of the year by Time, People, The Boston Globe, and School Library Journal, and have been translated into over twenty languages as well as various theatrical productions.

Her other titles include:  Beyond the Laughing Sky illustrated by Julie Morstad, Smoot: A Rebellious Shadow illustrated by Sydney Smith,  The Masterwork of a Painting Elephant illustrated by Ed Young, and The Town of Turtle illustrated by Cátia Chien.

Her 2017 title The Care and Feeding of a Pet Black Hole is in production with Matt Reeves through his 6th and Idaho banner, and her 2015 title Confessions of an Imaginary Friend is being developed into an animated feature film by Fox. Cuevas has freelanced as a creative consultant for Fox Animation, and is the writer of "Follow Your Heart," which qualified for the animated shorts category of the 2018 Academy Awards, as well as the STEM short Happy Birthday, Ada, commissioned by Google, which won 1st place at the 47th ASIFA-East Animation Awards.

Michelle lives and works in the Berkshires in Massachusetts with her husband and two Bernese Mountain Dogs, Fable and Indy.

Reviews

[Brooke · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sweet, humorous tale of grief, family & learning how to begin moving forward. About a year ago, Stella lost her father & up until this point, has refused to talk about it. (She hates when her little brother Cosmo brings him up; they are not supposed to talk about him.) She decides to give a recording of her father's laugh to be included in Carl Sagan's Golden Record because she doesn't want to have the painful reminder anymore. Only, when she comes back from NASA, she finds that a black hole has followed her home.

This hole becomes Stella's 'pet'- & makes everything it touches disappear. Using this to her advantage, Stella feeds her pet all the things that remind her of her dad. She figures becoming numb is the way to go. But in doing this, she realizes that the good memories are being taken away as well. When Cosmos is sucked into the hole, it becomes clear that Stella is being consumed by her grief. In order to save her brother & herself, she must come to terms with all of the emotions she has been stuffing down for the past year.

While their are many books on learning how to cope with death, I appreciated the wit Cuevas penned for Stella. Stella learns that we must take the good with the bad; it is okay to talk about things; that our loved ones will forever remain in our hearts. While I felt the pacing was winding down in the second half, I am satisfied with the outcome & think this is worth taking a look at for those who may not even be aware they're being consumed by their own pet black hole.

[Steph · Rating 5 out of 5]

I truly could not have loved this book more. Hilarious, creative, quirky, and totally filled my heartbroken soul. I might be in my 30s, but this helped heal me after the loss of my dad more than lots of “grown-up” books have. An incredible book that I can’t wait to share with both the little kids AND big kids who need it.

- - -

“You can always tell a weirdo by the way they don’t find weird activities the least bit weird.”

“A person can’t just be the good parts. For a person to be a person, you have to allow them to have an east and a west and a south too.”

“Currently we were hovering above the River of Words... you had the idea to cut up the words and make the river out of them. You said it was where a person could go fishing for new ideas and whole new sentences.”

“This sentence believes we ruin things if we try to make them last forever.
This sentence is really a map, which is really a memory, which is really a wish to go home.”

“He’s gone,” I said, “and there’s a hole in my life.”

“And I realized how much I missed you. And how much Cosmo missed you. And how much Cosmo needed me. And how much I needed him right back.
And so we talked about everything that we remembered. We talked about big days and small days. We talked until I felt as if you were there, almost, or at least until the part of you that was in Cosmo, and the part of you that was in me, were both shining so brightly it didn’t seem like there was any dark left in the black hole at all.”

“I closed my eyes, feeling a point of infinite love and infinite grief, and comfort in knowing, for the first time, that I have infinite space inside for both.”

“And that’s when I knew. I could stay here, forever, lost in a memory. But that’s not what you would have wanted. It’s not, I realized, how I wanted to spend my life either.”

“It would truly be a long journey without you.”

—-

There’s a hole at the center, but that’s okay, because it’s full of such beautiful, beautiful things.

[Joseph Brink · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh. my.

This book was amazing!

This book weaves tears (yes, I teared up while reading), laughter, light, darkness, into a beautiful tapestry that stirred my heart.

In the two hours it took me to read this masterful book, my outlook on life was changed. The book left me with a hole in my heart, but it is a hole full of beautiful things...

*sighs*
I need to get my own copy of this book. I can see myself wanting to reread this again and again and again.

I wholeheartedly recommend this bittersweet, whimsical, lovely tale.

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the funniest, most creative MG books I've read, but it's also got a heart made of the sad darkness of loss. Told in second person, Stella Rodriguez addresses her father who's passed away and from the very first paragraph, her dazzling prose drew me in. Plus, space and science!

A great pairing with The Remarkable Journey of Charlie Price by Jen Maschari.

[Darla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Larry, the pet black hole is named after his singularity or gravitational center and is eating his feelings. Anything he touches gets absorbed into his core and he wants to snuggle with soft, furry things the most. There goes Stinky Stu, the classroom hamster and later The Dog With No Name.

Our protagonist, Stella, launches an expedition to recover their puppy and her brother Cosmos is inadvertently sucked in with her. As they plumb the depths of the black hole that is Larry, they renew their relationship and learn to grieve over their lost father together.

Stella also is finally able to admit that without her dad there is a hole in her life and has several other epiphanies along the way which I will not reveal to avoid spoilers.

This is a fun, yet insightful book about a family and their grief and how they learn to move on with the help of a stellar phenom. Beautifully written and appealing to middle grade kids. Would make a wonderful classroom readaloud.

[Roberta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adoro i libri per bambini, perché nascondo sempre un tesoro tra le loro pagine e anche alcuni pensano che solo perché c'è scritto che l'età di lettura va dai 9 anni in su non siano perfetti per gli adulti sono invece perfetti per tutte le età e hanno molto da insegnare a noi adulti.
Il fantastico viaggio di Stella è un libro con una storia toccante, che sfiora il cuore del lettore, lo avvolge dolcemente e lo conduce all'interno della vita della piccola protagonista, gli mostra come una bimba di 11 anni riesce piano piano ad accettare e soprattutto ad affrontare la perdita del padre.
Stella ha solo 11 anni, ha un fratellino un po' rompiscatole (quale fratellino non lo è?) di 5 anni, ama la scienza e soprattutto le stelle e il suo mondo è stato messo sottosopra dalla morte del padre. Un bel giorno un piccolo buco nero fa irruzione nella sua vita e, dopo un attimo di panico iniziale, Stella pensa finalmente di aver trovato la soluzione ai suoi piccoli problemi, dando in pasto al buco nero non solo tutto ciò che non le piace, ma anche i ricordi che più le fanno male...
Stella si rivolge direttamente a suo padre, parla con lui, gli racconta cosa sta succedendo e qualche volta gli dice "Ti ricordi?", gli confessa di aver tenuto solo ed unicamente per se alcune cose che facevo assieme, tenendo fuori sia la mamma che il piccolo Cosmo e pagina dopo pagina il lettore scopre l'immenso vuoto che vi è nella vita della protagonista, percepisce il suo dolore e in qualche modo finisce lui stesso dentro il piccolo buco nero, in viaggio con Stella e Cosmo verso i ricordi e l'accettazione della perdita subita.
Nonostante sia un libro per bambini tutto è ben descritto e ben caratterizzato, la protagonista è ben delineata e per il lettore è facile riuscire ad immaginarsi ogni situazione ed ogni personaggio descritto.
Un libro tenero, che con una narrazione semplice e divertente affronta un tema importante come la morte di un genitore. Michelle Cuevas ha uno stile narrativo pulito, lineare, che coinvolge il lettore, ne stuzzica la fantasia, lo commuove e lo fa sorridere, trasportandolo nel profondo dell'animo della protagonista, facendogli vivere ogni piccola situazione vissuta da Stella.
In poche ore vi ritroverete alla fine del libro, avrete l'animo colmo dalle mille emozioni trasmette da questa fantastica storia, gli occhi umidi, ma il cuore leggero, non posso quindi che consigliarvi di leggere Il fantastico viaggio di Stella, ma ricordate sempre che si tratta di un libro per giovani lettori e dovete quindi affrontarlo con leggerezza e senza troppe pretese e in cambio vivrete una grande meravigliosa avventura.

[Kristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I was finally able to see that nothing was simply good or bad, that everyone contained multitudes, and that I, like anyone, was a beautiful, swirling, chaotic galaxy of all the things that had ever happened to me.”

I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH 💖

It was everything I wanted it to be - scientific, funny, emotional, educational and relatable.

I would give it all the stars in the universe if I could!

READ IT!!!!

[Maija · Rating 5 out of 5]

As always, Michelle Cuevas left me a blubbering puddle of sobs on the train and the bus. I love, love, love her heart wrenching, redemptive words.

[Emily Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was one of the sweetest, funniest, most creative MG books I've read so far! An absolute delight to read <3

[Gita · Rating 5 out of 5]

عنوان فارسی: مراقبت از یک سیاه‌چاله‌ی خانگی
نویسنده: میشل کیوواس
مترجم: زهرا چوپانکاره
انتشارات چشمه

استِلا دختر نوجوانی‌ست که به تازگی پدرش را از دست داده و از غم بزرگی فرار می‌کند. داستان یک‌جور نامه/روایت است که استلا در آن با پدرش صحبت می‌کند و روزهایش را روایت می‌کند. اینکه چه‌طور در حیاط خانه‌شان یک سیاه‌چاله‌ی خانگی پیدا می‌کند که تمام خاطرات را می‌بلعد، اینکه چه‌طور می‌تواند با مادر و برادرش دوباره یک خانواده بسازند و اینکه آیا می‌تواند در دل تاریکیِ سیاه‌چاله دنبال نوری بگردد؟

انقدر کتاب خوبی بود و بخش‌های دوست‌داشتنیم زیاد بود که واقعا نمی‌دانم کدام را اینجا بگذارم. به‌هرحال:

▪︎《این تنها صدای ضبط شده‌ای بود که از تو داشتم. در این خیال بودم که آیا میتوانم کلمات توی نوار را دوباره بچینم، هر اسم، فعل و صفتی را جابه‌جا کنم تا گفت‌وگوی تازه‌ای خلق کنم؟ اما نه. ما دیگر هرگز حرف نخواهیم زد و این حقیقت یکی از چیزهای بسیاری بود که آرزو می‌کردم می‌توانستم برای همیشه آن را در دل سیاه‌چاله‌ی خانگی‌ام گم کنم.》

❗از این قسمت یادداشتم به بعد ممکن است بخشی از داستان برای شما لو برود. اگر قصد خواندن کتاب را دارید -که بنظرم خیلی قصد خوبی‌ست- پیشنهاد می‌کنم ادامه را نخوانید.

▪︎ گلویم کم‌کم حس فشردگی پیدا میکرد. به لَری گفتم:《میدونی، بعضی وقت‌ها... خُب، بعضی وقت‌ها معلوم میشه اون چیزی که فکر میکنی سیاه‌چاله‌ست و قراره همه‌چی رو بکِشه توی تاریکی خودش، در واقع کرم‌چاله‌ست، دروازه‌ست، راهی به خونه‌ست. اگه طاقت بیاری و با تاریکی روبه‌رو بشی، دست‌آخر خودش تو رو میبره همون جایی که باید بری. تو رو به خودت برمی‌گردونه. این کاری بود که تو برای من کردی.》

سوال:
دلم می‌خواست ببینم حالا که لری کوتوله‌های حیاط همسایه را بلعیده، آن خانم با فراموش کردن خاطرات، چه تغییری کرده. بنظرم میشد اندکی بیشتر به داستانش پرداخت.

[John Naylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first word I want to describe this book with is not age appropriate to those the book is aimed at. I admit this book brought up some feelings I try to keep buried.

The book is about the black hole of grief. The black hole being real and a pet is a really good way of describing it. You feed that grief, look after it, protect it and then wonder why it is so damaging to you and those you love.

Throwing away everything that reminds you of those you have lost is something I can almost relate to. Except I burned it all. I only kept the memories. That is why this book hit me so hard.

I definitely recommend this book for any child (of any age) who has lost someone. Read it and then write a review about you and not the book. Just like I have.

[Stef · Rating 3 out of 5]

Baca ini berharap I have same feeling when read A Monster Calls but it feel different. Aku kira bakalan bikin nangis sesenggukan, but yeah cuman begitu. Premis cerita nya bagus sih tentang dealing witg grief for young age. Suka bagian humor-humor sains nya, baca ini keinget perasan sama pas baca See you in cosmos Jack Chang, Fakta sains juga salah satu favorite part. Dan penyajian cerita yang penuh dengan humor juga cuman kadang ada beberapa bagian yang emang bikin bosen dan aku ngerasa si tokoh stella nya ini di akhir too mature for her age. After all, buku ini cocok buat di baca anak-anak usia 11 tahun keatas to knowing how dealing with grief dengan metafora "black holes"

[Kari · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5
“I closed my eyes, feeling a point of infinite love and infinite grief, and comfort in knowing, for the first time, that I have infinite space inside for both.”

A beautiful story about grief and mourning a lost loved one, this small book contains a multitude of emotions. There’s humor and wit, a touch of whimsy in the fantasy, and some excellent wisdom shared throughout. I definitely recommend this one and had some excellent conversations with my student book club about it!

[Flora · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn’t know anything about the book when I first picked it up. What I thought would be a cute middle grade fantasy novel, turned out to be much more meaningful than I anticipated. It is a story about a girl dealing with grief after her father’s death. About how avoidance is not the best solution to your problems and how by trying to forget the bad things you inevitably let go of some of the good as well.

[Jared Delcamp · Rating 4 out of 5]

I appreciate a middle grade reader tackling such a difficult subject. The story has the comedy needed to offset the intensity of dealing with grief. It also has many interesting analogies to consider when processing grief. Not a bad read (and maybe a useful read) for anyone middle grade and up going through grief related challenges.

[Kristen Picone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a unique book about dealing with grief and loss. The story is told in the 2nd person Point of view as Stella speaks directly to her father, who recently passed away. The story never mentioned explicitly what happened to Stella’s dad, but instead focuses on the “after”. A black hole shows up one day and Stella uses it to rid her life of everything that she doesn’t like, that makes her uncomfortable, or that makes her think about her dad. When she and her brother get swallowed by Larry, Stella must face and come to terms with all that she tried to get rid of. In the process, she learns the meaning of home, understands the power in moving forward, and finds out that even if something is gone, it can still be your guide.

[Emory · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.8

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed Cuevas' writing style but I kept getting bored. Sadly my disinterest in science put me off. If you have a middle grader who loves science then this is a great choice for them, but for people like me who aren't so interested, this book is not going to change their minds.

[C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up an ARC of this book when I was at ALA. My 5 and a half year old wanted to read it when he saw it, and so we just finished it this week. He gave it an enthusiastic five stars, and I would tend to agree with him. I really enjoyed this book, it combines serious and silly, both taking seriously the loss of a parent, while keeping it tonally appropriate for younger kids. I would consider it excellent read for children who have lost parents, or for children who have friends who might have, allowing opportunity for conversation about what loss might look like for different people. It's touching and emotional in places, and silly and light-hearted in others, but that combination works beautifully, because that's how grief frequently works, the heart-breaking and the ridiculous can find themselves matched up in your experience.

I chose to read it aloud to my five year old because he is a fairly sophisticated reader, and we had opportunity to speak to it, in general were I handing it to a child I knew less well I would say probably somewhere between the 8-9 years of age mark.

I consider it an accomplishment to make it through the end without tearing up too much, but my voice did get a little choked up several times. It is an emotionally beautiful story, definitely recommend.

[Carly · Rating 5 out of 5]

In her latest book, Cuevas attacks the very real and very serious topic of grief. We learn early in the book that Stella has recently lost her father. But she also gains a "black hole." (I put that term in quotes because Cuevas keeps us wondering just what type of celestial body Stella's new friend is.) It is difficult to write a book about pain, especially around losing a parent, and still give readers something to smile about. Cuevas deftly navigates between the moments of grief and moments of whimsy experienced by Stella as she adventures with Larry. I recently lost a parent, and the feelings and thoughts Stella has, and her reaction to them, is exactly on point. This book is a must read for anyone, adult or child, dealing with a loss, but is also appropriate for anyone who wants a whimsical adventure into a black hole.

[Arantzazú · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those few delightful children's books that manages to, through the magic of excellent writing, portray a child character who is astute, yet not pretentious, witty, yet not bratty, introspective, yet not whiny, and gets involved in a storyline that is silly, fun, and ridiculous, AND serious, sad, and thought-provoking all at once. In short, this thin volume has everything either a child or an adult could possibly want in a great book. I'm a fan for life, Michelle Cuevas!

PS- Highly recommend reading this at the same time as Astrophysics for People in a Hurry. Cuevas did her research and the parallels are wonderful!

[Sara ~ Bookspedia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bello, bello, bello.

La recensione completa --> http://bookespedia.blogspot.it/2018/0...

[duniamimpigie Anggi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmmm... Gak jelek, tapi juga gak akan masuk daftar buku anak favorit saya.
Premis awalnya bikin saya kepincut: anak perempuan punya peliharaan black hole.
Tapi, konklusi di akhir bikin saya agak kecewa karena jelas-jelas ini merupakan pemfiksian pengalaman pengarang kehilangan sang ayah (angkat?).
Memfiksikan pengalaman yang pernah benar-benar terjadi pada diri pengarang memang bukan sesuatu yang buruk atau salah. Jauh dari itu malah. Justru pengalaman merupakan sumber ide utama bagi penulis, termasuk saya. Tapi... Novel ini semakin ke belakang semakin terasa "curhat". Tokoh Stella jadi kehilangan orisinalitasnya akibat intervensi pengarang di dalam karakternya terlalu besar. Stella yang mestinya masih bocah, jadi terasa dewasa akibat pengarang yang terlalu ikut campur. Dulu saya pun pernah mendapat kritikan semacam ini, barulah saya menyadarinya begitu saya berada di posisi pembaca alih-alih penulis. Sebagai pembaca, saya ingin membaca "cerita", bukan curhatan kesedihan pengarang yang diberi topeng "fiksi".
Begitu deh.
Tapi, saya senang dengan perkembangan hubungan Stella dan Cosmo, adik laki-lakinya yang eksentrik itu ehehehe...

Btw, untuk buku anak yang temanya "merelakan kepergian orang/hewan peliharaan terdekat", saya masih lebih merekomendasikan Mumi Kucing (Jacqueline Wilson) dan Petualangan Edward Tulane (Kate diCamillo).

[Lesley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so sweet. For me, the best middle grade stories have two features: one, there is a central protagonist who is both realistic and aspirational. In Pet Black Hole, Stella is smart and sarcastic, responsible but dealing with a lot of pain for a kid and not handling it that well. She loves Carl Sagan and wants to work for NASA someday.

It’s a trip to NASA to see Sagan that brings Stella in contact with the title black hole. That brings me to the second thing I want to see in my middle grade books: a deeper theme that kids will not necessarily look for, but that they innately understand. For Stella, her black hole represents the grief that is eating at everything in her life. She doesn’t know how to deal with it, so she tries to throw all of it into the void in order to forget. Anyone can understand the impulse to do that.

Highly recommend for kids and adults.

[17bushellk003 · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book wasn't the best but it wasn't the worst .It had a lot boring parts .I didn't really like the humor .It Was about a girl called stella who recently lost her dad .She lives with her mum and a younger brother .I likes the scientific facts that it included and the way he book had black pages for when she fell in the black whole .One day a let black whole followed her back home from NASA .She learned to care for it and she tried to train it .She fed it all of her unwanted things especially her Brussel sprouts and a few days later her mum got her and her brother a dog .Unfortunately the dog followed a ball into the black whole and she had to go in .She left her brother in the bathtub with a Walkie talkie.She couldn't find the dog anywhere and somehow her brother and the bathtub fell into the black whole to .They overcame challenges and Obsticals to get our and when they did they had only been 29minutes even though it was 4 days in the black whole They then took the black whole back to NASA where they said there goodbyes .

[Leah Delcamp · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a thoughtful, creative, gentle and often humorous approach to grief. While it would be categorized as a middle grade read, I appreciated the wit and wisdom as an adult.

The story is about an 11-year-old girl who has lost her father and is having a hard time dealing with his death. Then one day, after a visit to NASA, a black hole follows her home and a string of incredible events start happening ultimately leading to a beautiful conclusion.

The author wrote this after losing her stepfather and that makes this all the more impactful. It doesn’t discuss any beliefs on what happens to us after we die, it’s more about the process of grief and not letting it totally consume you but told in a very clever and approachable way. I absolutely loved it start to finish.

[Holly Ristau · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful book dealing with grief perfect for upper elementary students. It would be a good follow-up to a space unit that defines black holes in case the students don’t have a clear picture of what a black hole is and what it does. Stella Rodriguez, 11-year-old astronaut to be, has lost her father and it’s left a giant hole in her life. Author Michelle Cuevas does an amazing job of describing the gut-wrenching pain of the loss of a beloved parent, but also the journey Stella has to take to realize how her father is still a part of her life. This is a wonderful read, even if you’re an adult!

[Jodie Cowdell · Rating 5 out of 5]

The care and feeding of a pet black hole

Such a beautiful story that tugs on your heart strings. ❤❤

"You know," I said to Larry, my throat starting to feel tight. "Sometimes.... well, sometimes what you think is a black hole in your life, sucking everything into its darkness..... it turns out to actually be a wormhole. A portal. A way home. If you can keep on and face the darkness, it will, in the end, take you where you need to go. It will take you back to yourself. That's what you did for me."

[Jenni Bader · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is one of the most beautiful and wise pieces of writing on dealing with grief and depression. At the same time it is a charming and funny story of a future scientist, her most unusual pet, and an exciting adventure into the unknown territories of outer and inner space. Although written for middle grade readers, it has earned a space on the shelf in my high school classroom. Older teens and adults can appreciate both the story and insight as well as older elementary and middle school students, and it is a wonderful example for students in our creative writing club of how to craft writing with layers, and emotional depth that will resonate with readers.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is absolutely bloody gorgeous. I can’t even describe how beautifully written it is. I’m not usually a crier at books but this one definitely had me on the verge at the end. A perfect book for anyone struggling with loss and grief, or just anyone in general. Beautiful.