Life is full of challenges, and this is never truer than during the turbulent times of adolescence. In Catalogue of the Universe, Margaret Mahy explores the tribulations associated with trying to navigate the often-indecipherable maze of being a teenager. The principle characters in the novel are iconic representations of two ends of the social spectrum during this period of ones life: at one end is the brainy, introverted geek who pines for the person at the other end, the attractive, popular girl who seems to have the world by its horns. Upon closer examination, however, it becomes evident that nothing is as it seems and that no matter where on the social spectrum one sits, life is never without problems. Margaret Mahy tackles these issues, which in this case include the search for one's past and the struggle to become who one really is, head-on and...