Book Review: Down to Earth
Down to Earth by Betty Culley
Down to Earth is a quirky middle grades gem. Homeschooler Henry is obsessed with rocks, so of course he’s excited when a meteorite lands in his family’s field. He’s practically memorized all the rocks in his R volume of the encyclopedia, but he’s not prepared for this rock’s mysterious powers: It’s got some weird connection to the local water that causes floods and droughts to happen. So Henry does what any good homeschooler does when confronted with a Big Question: He does research, and he connects with experts in the field.
I’m always looking for good books with homeschooled main characters, so I was happy to discover this one, and I really loved that Henry’s curiosity feels authentic — he’s a bright kid with a deep interest in geology, and his homeschool experience felt totally relatable. I always have a soft spot for magical realism, and I liked how gently this book nudges the edges of the scientifically possible, reminding readers that science and magic have been tangled together throughout history. It’s also nice to have a male tween-age character who is intelligent, emotionally adjusted, and has healthy family and social connections — and I loved the scientist (tracking the meteor) who befriends him.
I think this book is just delightful. Recommended for middle grades readers, kids who love science (especially geology), homeschoolers in search of a book with a character who learns like them, and anyone looking for a genre-bending story that blends science and magic.
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Amy Sharony is the founder and editor-in-chief of home | school | life magazine. She's a pretty nice person until someone starts pluralizing things with apostrophes, but then all bets are off.
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