
The Uncertainty Principle
Penguin Workshop (Publisher)
Published on 3. June 2025
Book
Hardback
272 pages
978-0-593-66030-0 (ISBN)
Description
Sixteen-year-old Mia is stranded in the middle of the Caribbean. After a mortifying incident in the school cafeteria, her parents decide there is only one way to deal with her meltdown: move onto a battered sailboat and leave everything behind. Her mum and dad think it's the best decision they've ever made. Mia feels like she's been kidnapped and imprisoned in paradise with no internet and no destination.
Her only hope is to hack together a solar-powered satellite phone so she can call her best friend and fix everything. To do it, she'll have to build a mobile laboratory on the boat and ignore her neurotic mother, who thinks Mia is falling apart.
The problem is, Mia is falling apart. By day, she scours deserted islands, looking for anything she can use to build the phone. At night, she squeezes into a narrow bunk and talks to an imaginary friend. She knows, with absolute certainty, that she needs to abandon her family to save her sanity.
And then two teenagers sail into her world, promising friendship, and maybe even romance. Thoughtful, soulful Alby was raised in Australia but now his family calls the sea their home. The only thing missing is his soulmate. Bold, beautiful Nisha is simply vacationing on her dad's mega yacht when a chance encounter upends her life.
Now - with everything hanging in the balance - Mia must decide who she is and what she wants. And with this decision comes the revelation that her past and future are more uncertain than she thought.
Her only hope is to hack together a solar-powered satellite phone so she can call her best friend and fix everything. To do it, she'll have to build a mobile laboratory on the boat and ignore her neurotic mother, who thinks Mia is falling apart.
The problem is, Mia is falling apart. By day, she scours deserted islands, looking for anything she can use to build the phone. At night, she squeezes into a narrow bunk and talks to an imaginary friend. She knows, with absolute certainty, that she needs to abandon her family to save her sanity.
And then two teenagers sail into her world, promising friendship, and maybe even romance. Thoughtful, soulful Alby was raised in Australia but now his family calls the sea their home. The only thing missing is his soulmate. Bold, beautiful Nisha is simply vacationing on her dad's mega yacht when a chance encounter upends her life.
Now - with everything hanging in the balance - Mia must decide who she is and what she wants. And with this decision comes the revelation that her past and future are more uncertain than she thought.
Reviews / Votes
"Mia's story tenderly explores themes of sexuality and neurodivergence with sailing and science details accompanying her often-painful introspection as she learns to navigate uncertainty. Emotional and broad-ranging." -Kirkus Reviews"A wonderful tale of self-discovery." -School Library Journal
"Teen readers will find familiar awkwardness as Mia navigates the Caribbean and her life." -Booklist
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Publishing group
Penguin Putnam Inc
Target group
Young adult
US School Grade: Seventh Grade and over, Interest Age: From 12 years
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
Dimensions
Height: 213 mm
Width: 139 mm
Thickness: 25 mm
Weight
356 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-593-66030-0 (9780593660300)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Joshua Davis | Kal Kini-Davis
The Uncertainty Principle
E-Book
06/2025
Penguin Workshop
€12.49
Available for download
Persons
Joshua Davis (he/him) is the New York Times bestselling author of Spare Parts, The Underdog, and Entrenched. He has been a finalist for the National Magazine Award in feature writing and produced the Sundance Audience Award-winning film Radical. He is the co-founder of Epic Magazine.
Kal Kini-Davis (he/him) is a sailor and writer. He recently graduated high school in San Francisco and is now studying wooden boatbuilding in the Pacific Northwest. He believes that boats have souls, just as people do.
Kal Kini-Davis (he/him) is a sailor and writer. He recently graduated high school in San Francisco and is now studying wooden boatbuilding in the Pacific Northwest. He believes that boats have souls, just as people do.