Hello universe

Newbery Medal Winner

"A charming novel, with a gripping plot." - The Washington Post

Newbery Medal-winning author Erin Entrada Kelly's funny and touching story of a neighborhood, centered around unlikely friendships.

Told from four intertwined perspectives—two boys and two girls—the novel celebrates courage, difference, and discovering your own bayan (hero). “Readers will immediately be immersed in this lively, interconnected adventure and its diverse cast of misfit characters.” —Booklist

In one day, four characters' lives intertwine in unexpected ways. Virgil Salinas is shy and kind-hearted, feeling out of place in his sports-mad family. Valencia Somerset, who is deaf, is smart, fearless, secretly lonely, and loves all things nature. Kaori Tanaka, who claims to have superpowers, is constantly hounded by her little sister, Jane. And Chet Bullins wishes weird kids would stop fighting so he can focus on basketball. They're no longer friends, at least until Chet pulls a prank that sends Virgil and his pet guinea pig plummeting to the bottom of a well. This disaster leads Kaori, Jane, and Valencia on an epic quest to find the missing Virgil. Through luck, wit, courage, and a little help from the universe, a rescue is staged, a bully is put in his place, and a friendship blossoms.

The acclaimed, award-winning author of Blackbird Fly and The Land of Forgotten Girls writes with an authentic teen voice and irresistible humor that will appeal to fans of Thanha Lai and Rita Williams Garcia.

"Readers from all walks of life will flock to this book that has something for just about everyone—humor, bullying, self-acceptance, intergenerational relationships, and a clever, fateful ending." - School Library Journal