Reviews with content warning for Bullying - Hello, Universe

I read this beautifully touching novel in one day, it was that wonderful. Hello, Universe is written by Erin Entrada and beautifully illustrated by Isabel Roxas.

It is a tale of friendship, courage and the story of 24 hours of 4 sixth grade children whose lives collide in surprising and unexpected ways. It tells the tale of a shy boy, Virgil, whose nickname is Turtle, a smart deaf girl, Valencia, a class bully, Chet, and a budding psychic, Kaori, along with her younger sister, Gen. Their paths all cross in the woods between their houses when Chet pulls a prank, which endangers one of the group. Was it just a coincidence? Or are somethings meant to be?

This was an interesting story to read on a sunny Bank Holiday Monday in the UK with wonderful characters that folks young and old would be able to relate to in so many ways!

I borrowed this book from Taunton library.

Content Warnings

ruthypoo2's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

The preteen characters in this book are written so authentically as unique kids who often feel like outsiders: Virgil Salinas (11), Valencia Somerset (11), Kaori Tanaka (12) and her little sister, Gen (7). It turns out the superpower these children possess is a keen understanding and acceptance of what it is about them that makes them different from their peers. With that said, they still experience feelings of loneliness and a desire to find acceptance and have real friends in their lives. I found myself thinking as I read this book that when I was their age, I would've fit right into this quirky, intelligent, imaginative, and kind group of kids.

The author, Erin Entrada Kelly, develops a story that moves at a brisk pace, using multiple POVs to introduce the characters and allow each to tell their own story and express personal feelings. It's hard being a kid, and sometimes even harder for those thought of as "different." Virgil is painfully shy and needs extra educational support from the resource room at school to help him with the classes he finds a bit hard. Valencia is deaf and wears hearing aids, also using the resource room to make sure her hearing deficit doesn't disadvantage her classroom learning. Kaori considers herself a psychic and, along with Gen, takes on kid clients (only), trying to help them with emotional struggles like overcoming nightmares. Gen is right there with Kaori even if she doesn't have the same psychic intuition... yet!

The main characters are beautifully diverse and as their friendships develop, never do they think less of each other because of social challenges or ethnic backgrounds or physical differences. There is, however, a token bully in the story and the author devotes a chapter to explain how the apple doesn't fall far from the tree - the way the character misunderstands, belittles, and is violent toward other children is likely a result of how the father behaves and impresses on their child a contempt for and intolerance of those who are different.

While this is a story driven by the mostly uneventful day-to-day lives of children just starting their school break, it respects that a lot of the challenges faced by the kids, though they may seem trivial outside childhood, are very impactful in the child's life and deserve to be taken seriously. But as we all know, a lot of the pain and trials you experience as a young person are not shared with an adult, but instead you look to friends for help. The author does a great job of portraying the main characters in this book as knowing what makes them happy and what makes them sad and being brave enough to face the what the world throws at them, maybe even braver than they realize.

This is an excellent middle grade book with fantastic character development and a surprisingly tense storyline that will have you rooting for a happy ending as you near the conclusion. It's a little bit of an emotional ride, but so rewarding.

I listened to the audiobook and appreciated the narrators, Ramón de Ocampo and Amielynn Abellera. Their reading fit the personalities of the children and overall whimsy of the story. I also had the digital edition of the book and enjoyed the handful of story-related drawings that represented artwork made by the characters, such as a child's version of a business card and sketched observations of squirrels in the forest.

Content Warnings