Hello, Universe
Erin Entrada Kelly
Greenwillow Books An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers
Available March 2017
You think you have it rough, say that to eleven year old Virgil Salinas. His brothers and parents are all jocks and always happy all the time. He’s just the opposite. He is very shy except around his grandmother, Gulliver (his pet guinea pig), and his friend Kaori. The only one who really understands him is Lola, his grandmother who lives with him. Then one day when while Gulliver is in Virgil’s backpack, it is thrown into a well in the woods by a bully named Chet. Now, Virgil has a decision to make. Will he be brave and go save Gulliver himself or will he go for help and leave Gulliver down there longer alone in the dark? This is one of the most amazingly interesting books I have ever read . It has wonderful lessons that I think everyone should learn: You are never alone; and everyone has an inner bayani (hero), you just have to find it.
~Teagan, grade 5
Eight Cousins 