Bite-Sized Book Reviews: “The Square Root of Summer”

I’m by no means a connoisseur of young adult literature. Don’t mistake me: I’ve enjoyed my share of reads within the genre. Annette Curtis Klaus’s Blood and Chocolate was a favorite during my teen years, and a novel I’ve reread once twice thrice in my adulthood. The Divergent, Chemical Garden, and Hunger Games trilogies all made my list of enjoyable reads. But styling myself a YA expert would be a step too far.

Nevertheless, Harriet Reuter Hapgood’s The Square Root of Summer seems to my limited experience a novel that distinguishes itself within the YA crowd.

Firstly, Square Root‘s protagonist–Gottie Oppenheimer–is a physics-and-math prodigy, making this book a winner for scientifically inclined ladies, and those passionate about female participation in STEM fields. As mentioned, my knowledge of YA’s offerings isn’t encyclopedic. But of what I have read, few books have offered me a “sciency” sort of girl. By featuring a heroine with Gottie’s intellectual savvy, Square Root acquires a fresh edge. Also supplementing the novel’s unique vibe are Gottie’s hand-drawn diagrams of scientific principles; scattered through the text, these illustrations lend Square Root a slightly-zany, grown-up-picture-book feel.