• Age: 8 to 12
• Grade: 3 to 7

Maybe “normal” isn't all it's cracked up to be.

All twelve year-old Daisy Fisher wants is to be normal — or at least to not stick out like a sore thumb. But growing up in the house disparagingly referred to as the “Jungle” makes that pretty much impossible. When your parents' activism brands them as a nuisance and your house is overrun with vines and critters, it's not so easy to fit in. And it definitely doesn't help when the neighbours declare your family public enemy number one. Or when your best (and possibly only) friend leaves for summer camp and forgets you exist. Or when your twin brother's cancer might be growing back.

Will this be the summer Daisy changes things for the better? She can't help where she lives, but if she could find a new friend, cultivate some courage, and figure out a way to keep her brother healthy, maybe life will finally be normal. Or will it?

An extraordinary new novel from acclaimed author Deborah Kerbel.

DEBORAH KERBEL a écrit des livres pour les jeunes adultes, les préadolescents et les lecteurs débutants. Ses romans ont été présélectionnés pour les Prix littéraires du Gouverneur général, le prix du livre de l’année pour les jeunes adultes de l’Association canadienne des bibliothèques et le Manitoba Young Reader’s Choice Award. Elle vit à Toronto avec son mari, ses deux adolescents et Freddie, leur chien adopté.

DEBORAH KERBEL was born in London, England, and now lives in Thornhill, Ontario with her husband, son and daughter, and a rescue dog named Freddie. Deborah has written a number of picture books, and is the author of four young adult and two middle-grade novels, including My Deal with the Universe. Her books have been shortlisted for the Governor General’s Literary Award, the Canadian Library Association’s YA Book Award, and many readers’ choice awards. Visit her online at www.deborahkerbel.com.

Deborah Kerbel's profile page

• Short-listed, Diamond Willow Award (Saskatchewan Young Readers' Choice)
• Short-listed, Red Cedar Award (BC Young Readers' Choice)
• Short-listed, Rocky Mountain Book Award (Alberta Children's Choice)
• Commended, Resource Links, Best of the Year

Praise for My Deal with the Universe:Short-listed, Red Cedar Award (BC Young Readers' Choice), 2020Short-listed, Rocky Mountain Book Award (Alberta Children's Choice), 2020Short-listed, Diamond Willow Award (Saskatchewan Young Readers' Choice), 2020Commended, Resource Links, Best of the Year, 2018