This book is incredibly wise. It took the concept of The Great American Novel, and made its bittersweet musings safe and digestible by sandwiching them with the fantastical. All of the legends from the great explorers, all of the Here There Be Dragons, the killer mermaids, the ghost pirate ships, the wicked witches in the woods, the territorial sasquatches... somehow, by including them as everyday facts, they make what we take for granted about our planet - nature, community, scientific discovery, our whole human history! - seem like the truly extraordinary. I feel a compassion for the pioneers like I never really did before when simply reading from a textbook. They left the civilization they knew on a hope and a hypothesis, braved unimaginable dangers, suffered losses, and many times over failed in their mission. But they also witnessed all things beautiful and unexpected, sad and strange, and their steps led to our future. The universe is vast and uncharted, and what we don't know is really only what we don't know yet. There is a ton to unravel in this book: The stages of grief, yes, but also the human condition in general. Do we meet obstacles with curiosity, optimism, violence, denial... There's no one "right" answer, but an acceptance that we are flawed and messy and ever-learning, ever-changing... Heavy, but beautiful, topics for a kids book to cover!

I think I can say without spoilers, that if this book were adapted for a Netflix movie, the ending would be changed. I think the author was very brave to choose a realistic ending, and that A LOT of kids need the catharsis this book can give. But, I also think that what makes this book the equal of any classic American novel currently taught in schools, is also what would make it too sad for the average kid to just pick this book up at the bookstore. To "sell" this book to a young audience, I imagine an adapter would edit in a happier ending. But then again, "moody" is the new mainstream right now, so maybe it's exactly the Good Cry book our current middle graders would reach for!

Regardless, as an adult, this book makes me want to watch a sunrise and then plan a road trip. It's one of those books that inspires you to cherish all things past and present, to carpe diem but to also be still and present. It's hard to describe wanting to Do and Not Do at the same time. It's the euphoria of "I want to take a long hike, and then I want to sit at the top of a cliff and just look at all I've surmounted."

Complex, cathartic, and inspiring.