nithya_natalya 's review for:

Hello, Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly

3.0

adventurous lighthearted fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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This was a really sweet book of a boy learning to speak up for himself, but it was not at all what I expected. I'm not sure if I misread a description, or misinterpreted the cover, but I thought this was going to be more of a supernatural fantasy, in which a band of kids has to save their friend from another dimension. The book also fell into a children's book trap that I absolutely hate, which is when the author, usually an adult themselves pokes fun at a child character, not with the reader in mind so that the child is in on the joke, but sort of at the expense of the child. I felt that way about Kaori. She believed she had the power of Sight, but everything written from her perspective felt like a joke at her expense. Like the author was winking at the reader, and saying we all know she doesn't really have any special powers, and the real power here is the power of friendship. Isn't she so silly? Which. I don't know. It felt really condescending. Maybe kids reading it won't pick up on it, but I prefer kids books where the children readers are in on the joke, rather than being laughed at by older readers who "get it." 

One of the characters in the book is deaf. I think that the author did a lot of work to make sure that the book engaged in respectful, accurate and multi-dimensional representation. But the author is not deaf, and I don't know for sure.