Elle is just another teenage girl... most of the time. Bubbly and good-natured, she wastes no time making friends on her first day at her new school. But Elle has a secret: she hasn't come alone. She's brought with her a colorful mix of personalities, which come out when she least expects it... Who is Elle, really? And will her new friends stand by her when they find out the truth?

Grandpa, how big is the universe? How far are the stars? How can we tell the sun's age? Are we stardust? What is thunder? Is the universe expanding? Do black holes exist? What is the future of the universe? "The book was born from conversations I had with one of my granddaughters, on certain summer evenings. All during its writing, I was able to relive those August evenings when the children showered me with questions while we awaited the shooting stars. The contemplation of the heavenly vault and the sense of our presence among the stars inspired a shared wish to know more about this mysterious cosmos in which we live. Here we will be talking about science, but that in no way rules out poetry." Hubert Reeves In this book, master astrophysicist Hubert Reeves unlocks the secrets of the universe. This is his spiritual testament to younger generations and a perfect occasion for us all to revise our conceptions about the cosmos.

First Published in 2001. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.