Tiny Infinities by Jean Heilprin Diehl

Tiny Infinities

by Jean Heilprin Diehl

When Alice's dad moves out, leaving her with her troubled mother, she does the only thing that feels right: she retreats to her family's old Renaissance tent in the backyard, determined to live there until her dad comes home. In an attempt to keep at least one part of her summer from changing, Alice focuses on her quest to swim freestyle fast enough to get on her swim team's record board. But summers contain multitudes, and soon Alice meets an odd new friend, Harriet, whose obsession with the school's science fair is equal only to her conviction that Alice's best stroke is backstroke, not freestyle. Most unexpected of all is an unusual babysitting charge, Piper, who is mute—until Alice hears her speak. A funny and honest middle-grade novel, this sharply observed depiction of family, friendship, and Alice's determination to prove herself—as a babysitter, as a friend, as a daughter, as a person—rings loud and true.

Reviewed by Sam@WLABB on

4 of 5 stars

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Nothing had been the same since Alice's mother's accident, but then Alice's whole universe began to unravel. Her father had left, her brothers were gone, and her mother was trying to get rid of Alice too, but she had a plan to try and get things back to the way they used to be.

This was a really lovely story about Alice's struggles with all the changes her family was experiencing. Change is hard, and these were some huge upheavals for Alice. I found it so easy to embrace Alice. She was determined and tenacious and patient. She had a huge heart, which was especially obvious, when she was working with younger people such as her brothers, Timmy, and Piper. She was dealing with some big things and had some grown-up responsibilities placed on her. But still, she retained a youthful exuberance, which I loved.

One of the best things about this book are all the relationships that are explored - family, friendship, and even a crush are part of Alice's story. Her bond with her brothers was really special, and her aunt was a great supporter, but I think it was the dynamic between Alice and Harriet that won my heart. Harriet was quite a unique and interesting sidekick. She was quite the foil for Alice, but she was also her biggest champion. I loved the way she pushed her outside of her comfort zone and encouraged her to try new things and see things in a different way. Harriet was a quality friend.

Other things I loved:

• Swimming! Alice's enthusiasm was contagious. All her hard work and swimming aspirations had me hooked, and I found that I really enjoyed going to the pool. (Even the cheers)
• I love science, and I think I was drooling during all the Harriet science nerdy parts. I admired all her experimentation and found her entire exploration of the lightening bug enthralling.
• Dad was pretty upfront with Alice, and I appreciated that one person was honest with her. He wasn't perfect, but he tried and I felt the bond between them was quite genuine.
• Poolside picnics were often shared, and curly fries for the win
• Tent living almost sounded doable. I guess I loved the story behind the tent, and it was sort of symbolic to what Alice was trying to hold on to.

At it's core, this was a coming of age story, which was a little sad and a little heartbreaking, but realistic. Diehl addressed Alice's challenges with care and with a lot of insight.

*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 22 November, 2018: Finished reading
  • 22 November, 2018: Reviewed