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A review by laura_cs
Sal and Gabi Break the Universe by Carlos Hernandez
5.0
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Sal didn't mean to punch a hole in the universe and put a dead chicken in Yasmany's locker.
Oh, wait, yeah, he did.
Meet Sal. He's a lot of things. The new kid. Cuban-American. Diabetic. Aspiring magician. Lover of Skittles. And he can access other dimensions. How did that happen? Well, let's just say it all started after his Mami Viva turned into Mami Muerta...
Now meet Gabi. Student council president. Overachiever. Loves t-shirts with quotes and funky barrettes. Future lawyer. Sal's worst enemy turned bestie. How did that happen? Well, let's just say it took a little bit of breaking the universe...
Sal and Gabi Break the Universe is a fun, fantastic adventure full of friendship, family, love, and a whole lot of yummy Cuban cooking. All of the characters are amazing and you can't help but love them. Yasmany, the school bully and receiver of the above dead chicken? You'll love him by the end of the book. Principal Torres, whose office Sal has ended up in every day of his first week at his new school? Wonderful and definitely deserves a raise. Papi and American Stepmom? You'll want them--along with all of Gabi's dads--to be your parents, too.
It's basically a slice-of-life book, coupled with alternate realities that Sal can access, leading to wacky adventures for all. And, maybe, lead to a miracle or two.
In addition, I want to make a quick note about Gabi, and something that endeared her to me. Though also Cuban-American and studies more than she breathes, she doesn't understand Spanish, leading to Sal to translate for her at times. I think that this is incredibly important for the Latino kids who weren't raised speaking Spanish for whatever reason (like, say, my kid brother, who is adopted from Guatemala and barely even knows Dora-level Spanish--not for a lack of trying on the part of our parents and myself). Not knowing Spanish doesn't make these kids any less Latino than their fluently bilingual peers, and highlights diversity of families and lifestyles.
Sal didn't mean to punch a hole in the universe and put a dead chicken in Yasmany's locker.
Oh, wait, yeah, he did.
Meet Sal. He's a lot of things. The new kid. Cuban-American. Diabetic. Aspiring magician. Lover of Skittles. And he can access other dimensions. How did that happen? Well, let's just say it all started after his Mami Viva turned into Mami Muerta...
Now meet Gabi. Student council president. Overachiever. Loves t-shirts with quotes and funky barrettes. Future lawyer. Sal's worst enemy turned bestie. How did that happen? Well, let's just say it took a little bit of breaking the universe...
Sal and Gabi Break the Universe is a fun, fantastic adventure full of friendship, family, love, and a whole lot of yummy Cuban cooking. All of the characters are amazing and you can't help but love them. Yasmany, the school bully and receiver of the above dead chicken? You'll love him by the end of the book. Principal Torres, whose office Sal has ended up in every day of his first week at his new school? Wonderful and definitely deserves a raise. Papi and American Stepmom? You'll want them--along with all of Gabi's dads--to be your parents, too.
It's basically a slice-of-life book, coupled with alternate realities that Sal can access, leading to wacky adventures for all. And, maybe, lead to a miracle or two.
In addition, I want to make a quick note about Gabi, and something that endeared her to me. Though also Cuban-American and studies more than she breathes, she doesn't understand Spanish, leading to Sal to translate for her at times. I think that this is incredibly important for the Latino kids who weren't raised speaking Spanish for whatever reason (like, say, my kid brother, who is adopted from Guatemala and barely even knows Dora-level Spanish--not for a lack of trying on the part of our parents and myself). Not knowing Spanish doesn't make these kids any less Latino than their fluently bilingual peers, and highlights diversity of families and lifestyles.