Chrissy’s Review: Hello, Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly

Hello, Universe
written by Erin Entrada Kelly
published by Greenwillow Books, 2017

find it here: (affiliate links) Barnes & Noble, Amazon, iBooks, Target, Walmart, Book Depository, Goodreads

Did I enjoy this book? I did enjoy it. I read it in advance of giving it to my son, and I thought it was a great middle grade read.

Virgil, Valencia, Kaori, and Chet are the main characters of Hello, Universe. They live in the same area, but they don’t all attend the same school. But they run into each other often, which isn’t a good thing if Chet is involved. The story is told in alternating points of view. Each character has their own voice. The story kept me reading until the very end. I laughed, I was worried, and I hoped for these kids.

Hello, Universe is a good read that teaches about friendship, bullying, and being yourself.

 

Would I recommend it? I would recommend it for you and your middle grade reader.

 

About the book – from Goodreads: In one day, four lives weave together in unexpected ways. Virgil Salinas is shy and kindhearted and feels out of place in his loud and boisterous family. Valencia Somerset, who is deaf, is smart, brave, and secretly lonely, and loves everything about nature. Kaori Tanaka is a self-proclaimed psychic, whose little sister Gen is always following her around. And Chet Bullens wishes the weird kids would just act normal so that he can concentrate on basketball. They aren’t friends — at least not until Chet pulls a prank that traps Virgil and his pet guinea pig at the bottom of a well. This disaster leads Kaori, Gen, and Valencia on an epic quest to find the missing Virgil. Through luck, smarts, bravery, and a little help from the universe, a rescue is performed, a bully is put in his place, and friendship blooms.