Candace, the Universe, and Everything

Coming September 9, 2025

What if your locker was a wormhole to the past?

On the first day of eighth grade, Candace Wells opens her locker and is astonished when an unusual bird flies out. Soon after, a notebook mysteriously appears on the top shelf, labeled Tracey Auburn, 1988. Stranger still, as Candace reads the notebook, new messages start to appear.

Professor Tracey Auburn only vaguely remembers a bird flying into her locker in eighth grade, way back in 1988, and losing a notebook she could have sworn she put on the top shelf. Until Candace shows up at her office with the missing notebook forty years later.

Quantum physicist Loretta Spencer will never forget the bird flying out of her locker in eighth grade in 1948. Her life’s work has been to study the portal and others like it, and now she needs Tracey’s and Candace’s help to complete her research.

So begins an unlikely friendship and a hunt around Chicago and the state of Illinois to uncover the secrets of the locker, the universe, and everything. One thing’s for sure: Eighth grade will never be the same again.

PRAISE FOR CANDACE, THE UNIVERSE, AND EVERYTHING

“A stellar work of middle-grade science fiction . . . Smith’s novel is filled with cosmic metaphors, intergenerational connections, science, and self-discovery . . . With its contemporary When You Reach Me tone, Candace, the Universe, and Everything reminds readers that although the universe is boundless, our connections to each other are limited and thus extremely meaningful.”

—Shelf Awareness

“Smith offers nuanced portrayals of the well-rounded characters and their relationships, combined with enjoyable fantasy elements . . . A heartwarming adventure that explores courage, self-belief, and dreams.”

—Kirkus Reviews

“The trio’s heartwarming bond takes center stage; with help from the older women, who act as her mentors, Candace learns how to navigate friendship woes and a first crush.”

—Publishers Weekly

“The heart of this story lies with the three generations of Black women who each are confronting drastic life changes (friendship, jobs, and the inevitability of aging) and who find solace in the perspectives they offer one another.”

—The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

“Inventive, unique, and empowering—a book that transcends time.”

—Erin Entrada Kelly, two-time Newbery Medal–winning author of The First State of Being and Hello, Universe

“A delightful celebration of intergenerational friendship that blends history, mystery, and science!”

—Gene Luen Yang, Printz Award–winning author of American Born Chinese

“Gorgeous prose, intricate plotting, and truer-than-true characters—all woven into a fantastical adventure set firmly in our very real world. Honestly, I can’t imagine anyone not loving this surprising, complex, wonderful book. Sherri L. Smith is a writer of ‘unordinary’ brilliance and imagination.”

—Laurel Snyder, award-winning author of Orphan Island

“A captivating, funny, and altogether ingenious tale about a girl dealing with the seismic social shifts of eighth grade while trying to solve a mystery that brings the fundamental nature of the universe into question. Sherri L. Smith is one of the most exciting writers in the field, and, once again, she has done something extraordinary.”

—Anne Ursu, award-winning author of The Troubled Girls of Dragomir Academy