Sal & Gabi Break the Universe

Sal & Gabi Break the Universe
Carlos Hernandez
Hyperion/Disney, 2019 382 pages
Grades 5-8
Science Fiction
A Sal & Gabi Novel #1

Sal has recently moved to Florida and is beginning his new school year at a Miami's Culeco Academy of the Arts. Right off the bat Sal finds himself in a run-in with the school bully that lands him in the principal's office—for the third time in as many days! Here he meets the bully's lawyer and student council president, Gabi. After a rocky start the two see similarities in personality, sense of humor and intelligence and become fast friends. Sal, a budding magician, has a secret: he can cause a tear in the universe and bring things in from other dimensions, including his mother who passed away several years ago. This skill often yields unexpected results. Gabi has troubles of her own. Her baby brother has a life-threatening illness and may not make it. She and her non-traditional family gather at the hospital daily, where Sal, a diabetic, accidentally meets up with them and is drawn into their lives. Sal and Gabi work together to try to put things right with the school bully, who actually has serious troubles, the dead Mami who keeps coming through, and the baby who is barely holding onto life. Will they be able to fix everything before it’s too late?

I have had this series launcher in the "Rick Riordan Presents" line of books by my bed for about a year. I keep picking it up and then putting it down because it seems so looong. After so many years in the business I read like a kid and struggle with long-ish books. Okay, so this book IS long, maybe longer than it needs to be, but it is never boring. The action moves consistently along and the plot contains crazy surprises. Debut middle grade author, Hernandez, crams a lot of stuff within the 382 pages of this book, but it is like no other story I have ever read. Sal is a likable boy, smart, loving, yet flawed, with mad magic skills. Beyond this he has the inconceivable ability to pull things from other dimensions, which is so cool. This is fantasy with a physics premise, turning it solidly into science fiction. Scientific kids will enjoy the facts behind what it actually happening, and fantasy kids will love the magic. As the book moves forward a penny drops with an awesome twist that I cannot reveal but was worth the time spent reading all 382 pages. Both boys and girls will enjoy this book and kids who generally don't think they like science fiction or fantasy will find the story palatable. The story features a Cuban American community and Spanish words are sprinkled throughout and defined through context clues. Sal and Gabi's next adventure is set for release in May and sure to be as popular as the first.