Hello, Universe

A heart-warming story of four children, all with different needs and emotions, who are drawn together by one event. The story is set in small town suburban America. It includes bullying, friendship and Filipino folktales.

The beginning of the book sees the characters introduced - each given their own chapter. This enables the reader to gain some background knowledge as to why they are perceived the way they are. First to be introduced, is 11-year-old Virgil Salinas; a shy and misunderstood boy. He is known as 'Turtle' to all his family because he needs encouraging to come out of his shell. To all except his grandma - Lola. As soon as she arrived from the Philippines, she told him that he was her favourite. She tells him old Filipino folktales where someone always ends up being eaten. He likes a girl at school - Valencia - but is not confident enough to say anything to her.

Valencia Somerset is clever, stubborn and has no idea that Virgil likes her. A hearing impairment means that she wears hearing aids. Saint Rene is the 'person' whom she talks to about almost anything.

Kaori Tanaka tells fortunes and reads the stars; basically, a psychic in training. She tells people that her parents were born in the high, misty mountains of a samurai village (they were both born in Ohio).

Chet Bullens is the last character we are introduced to. He is known as Bull; he is a bully. However, as we move through the story, we find out that he has issues which maybe have led him to behave as he does.

They all come together when one of them falls down a well with Gulliver the guinea pig for company; one gets bitten by a snake; and two figure out how to put things right!

Winner of the Newbery Medal, Hello Universe well deserves a read.

311 Pages / Ages 9+ / Reviewed by Donna Ritchie, teacher.

Suggested Reading Age 9+