When eleven-year-old Stella Rodriguez visits NASA in an attempt to meet Carl Sagan, something unusual happens: A black hole follows her home and begins to live in her house as a pet. The black hole, which she names Larry, swallows everything he touches, which is challenging to say the least—but also turns out to be a convenient way to get rid of those items that Stella doesn’t want around. After Larry consumes a treasured photo of her late father, Stella explodes in anger, causing him to run away. As she weighs the pros and cons of keeping a black hole as a pet, Stella comes to realize how she has been letting her own grief consume her.

About Roundtable Reading

At Roundtable Reading, young readers read aloud to one another from the opening pages of a good book for about an hour. Children who participate at the event will receive a copy of the book to continue reading at home. No advance sign-up needed; just show up promptly at 2 o’clock, ready to read!