Kelly, Erin Entrada. (2017). Hello, universe. New York: Scholastic.
Virgil is a shy kid, so much so that his parents call him Turtle because he won't come out of his shell. He is Filipino American and lives with his parents, brothers, and grandmother. She tells him Filipino legends and her dreams. Her current dream is of a boy being eaten by a stone monster. Virgil has a crush on Valencia, a girl in his resource class. Virgil struggles with math and Valencia is deaf. They are both seeing Kaori, another middle school student who believes she is psychic. Virgil is tormented by Chet, the local bully. On his way to an appointment with Kaori, Virgil runs into Chet in the woods. Chet throws Virgil's backpack in an old well. For most this wouldn't be a problem, but his guinea pig Gulliver was in the bag. In an attempt to save Gulliver, Virgil is trapped in the well. In the well, he finds characters from his grandmother's tales. Meanwhile Kaori and Valencia are searching for him, as he missed his appointment with Kaori. They eventually find him and everyone learns that the universe may have a plan for all of us.
If, God forbid, I don't get the library job that I am interviewing for next week, this will be my first read aloud of the year. I just loved it. I believe that God and the Universe have a plan for us, whether we are ready for it or not and this book illustrates that beautifully. I also loved the diversity of the characters. Disabilities and cultures are important to Virgil and Valencia and that makes this book even stronger. The character of the bully is also intriguing, as he is emulating his father and desperate for his approval. I see a lot of great conversations coming from this book.
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