A Corner of the Universe

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A Corner of the Universe
Author	Ann M. Martin
Country	United States
Language	English
Genre(s)	Children's
Publisher	Scholastic
Publication date	October 1, 2002
Media type	Print (Hardcover)
Pages	208 p.
ISBN	ISBN 978-0439388801

A Corner of the Universe is a children's novel by Ann M. Martin, published in 2002. It won a Newbery Honor in 2003.

[edit] Plot introduction

The summer during the 1950's is a season that the novel's narrator and protagonist, 12-year-old Hattie Owen, expects to be as comfortably uneventful as all the others. She's looking forward to helping her mother run their boarding house with its tenants, painting alongside her artist father, and reading. Then 21-year-old Uncle Adam, whom Hattie never knew existed, comes to stay with the Owens because his "school" has closed down. It soon becomes apparent that he has mental problems: he is a rapidly babbling, Lucille Ball-quoting, calendar-savant and emotionally immature child in a man's body, although Hattie's strong sense of empathy and wisdom eventually lead to the two becoming friends. Hattie's grandparents act embarrassed whenever Adam is around, and her peers laugh at him. However, Hattie quickly finds a kindred spirit in her uncle, and the two embark on a summer during which Hattie will find adventure, tragedy and enlightenment as she "lifts the corners of [her] universe" in order to better understand those around her and to learn to heal and communicate.But in the end one of the people in the house called Angel Valentine is found with her newest boyfriend Henry in bed half naked (each of them) who Adam finds unworthy because he loves Angel. Adam is so sad the he makes the hardest choice he has ever had to make. At the end, Hattie realizes that lifting the corners of our universe does not mean a big thing, it starts by being nice, little by little.