Hello Universe

About “Hello Universe”

Winner of the 2018 Newbery Medal, this story explores unexpected friendships through the lives of four characters who come together in a single day. Virgil Salinas is shy and feels out of place in his loud family. Valencia Somerset is deaf, smart, and brave, but also lonely and loves nature. Kaori Tanaka is a self-proclaimed psychic, and her younger sister Gen often follows her. Chet Bullens wishes the other kids would act more normally so he can focus on basketball. Their paths cross when Chet's prank traps Virgil and his guinea pig in a well. This event prompts Kaori, Gen, and Valencia to go on a quest to find Virgil. The story asks whether their meeting was a coincidence or if some things are meant to be. It is an engaging tale about unlikely friendships by Erin Entrada Kelly.