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brittney_tyler 's review for:
Sal and Gabi Fix the Universe
by Carlos Hernandez
Star Rating: 4 stars
Note: This is the 2nd and final book in the Sal and Gabi dualogy so this will not be an in-depth review.
After loving the 1st book in this dualogy, Sal and Gabi Break the Universe, I was very excited to read book 2, Sal and Gabi Fix the Universe. Although it did have some slight problems which caused me to knock it down a star, I still thoroughly enjoyed it. This volume tells the ending of Sal and Gabi and their myriad group of friends’ story as they try to recover and move on from the escapades of the 1st book.
The best thing about this book is the topics it introduces its young readers to. For instance, characters are allowed to express themselves in whatever way feels comfortable to them, and if people judge them for it, they get called out. There are conversions about not assuming anything about another person without asking- what someone’s pronouns are, what their personal boundaries may be (Gabi asks Sal if he feels comfortable being hugged or touched before she does so), and when you are viewing someone’s else work (be it art, literature, or some other form of expression), you should research or ask to see what may have influenced their work before you make an opinion on it (Be an informed viewer so that you don’t cause accidental offense!!!). Not only did I love that these issues/concerns were being addressed, but that they were handled with finesse. Characters, especially adults, showed us how to be good, open-minded, world-aware human beings through their actions and reactions, allowing the readers to see why they should act a certain way, without accusing them of acting wrong in the past.
Speaking of issues, this book dealt with some heavy but important ones. For instance, one of the characters has lost someone very important to them and has to come to terms with their grief over the course of this series and this book in particular. There are also two characters who are dealing with chronic illness and we see their struggles brought to life on the page. (Sal has type one diabetes and I have to say, as a type one diabetic myself, the representation was spot on.) Since this book features a largely Hispanic cast, immigration come up, although it isn’t at the forefront like some of these other issues (Gabi has multiple “dads” and although it is never stated on the page, I think her mom is assisting them with their immigration process and providing a safe place for them to learn and adapt to their new country.) Finally, one of the characters in this book is suffering from major abuse/neglect and readers get to see how this affects this individual, leaving physical, mental, and emotional scars, and how they recover from it.
The only thing that brought this book down for me was the whole FixGabi/Sisterverse storyline. It wasn’t necessary to the plot for that storyline to be in there and as a result, it just felt like it was thrown in to create conflict/drama. This book/series is very character-driven and in my opinion, that was its strong suit. It didn’t need FIxGabi or the Sisterverse to accomplish what it was trying to do, and that is why I took a star off.
If this book sounds interesting to you at all, then I highly suggest you read it. It is one of my favorites to come from the Rick Riordan imprint so far. 4 stars!!!!!
Note: This is the 2nd and final book in the Sal and Gabi dualogy so this will not be an in-depth review.
After loving the 1st book in this dualogy, Sal and Gabi Break the Universe, I was very excited to read book 2, Sal and Gabi Fix the Universe. Although it did have some slight problems which caused me to knock it down a star, I still thoroughly enjoyed it. This volume tells the ending of Sal and Gabi and their myriad group of friends’ story as they try to recover and move on from the escapades of the 1st book.
The best thing about this book is the topics it introduces its young readers to. For instance, characters are allowed to express themselves in whatever way feels comfortable to them, and if people judge them for it, they get called out. There are conversions about not assuming anything about another person without asking- what someone’s pronouns are, what their personal boundaries may be (Gabi asks Sal if he feels comfortable being hugged or touched before she does so), and when you are viewing someone’s else work (be it art, literature, or some other form of expression), you should research or ask to see what may have influenced their work before you make an opinion on it (Be an informed viewer so that you don’t cause accidental offense!!!). Not only did I love that these issues/concerns were being addressed, but that they were handled with finesse. Characters, especially adults, showed us how to be good, open-minded, world-aware human beings through their actions and reactions, allowing the readers to see why they should act a certain way, without accusing them of acting wrong in the past.
Speaking of issues, this book dealt with some heavy but important ones. For instance, one of the characters has lost someone very important to them and has to come to terms with their grief over the course of this series and this book in particular. There are also two characters who are dealing with chronic illness and we see their struggles brought to life on the page. (Sal has type one diabetes and I have to say, as a type one diabetic myself, the representation was spot on.) Since this book features a largely Hispanic cast, immigration come up, although it isn’t at the forefront like some of these other issues (Gabi has multiple “dads” and although it is never stated on the page, I think her mom is assisting them with their immigration process and providing a safe place for them to learn and adapt to their new country.) Finally, one of the characters in this book is suffering from major abuse/neglect and readers get to see how this affects this individual, leaving physical, mental, and emotional scars, and how they recover from it.
The only thing that brought this book down for me was the whole FixGabi/Sisterverse storyline. It wasn’t necessary to the plot for that storyline to be in there and as a result, it just felt like it was thrown in to create conflict/drama. This book/series is very character-driven and in my opinion, that was its strong suit. It didn’t need FIxGabi or the Sisterverse to accomplish what it was trying to do, and that is why I took a star off.
If this book sounds interesting to you at all, then I highly suggest you read it. It is one of my favorites to come from the Rick Riordan imprint so far. 4 stars!!!!!