Erin Entrada Kelly

4 / 5 ⭐️'ˢ

"Hello, Universe" by Erin Entrada Kelly

I read this one because it was a suggested read in my ALA reading journal.

The book follows the perspectives of four diverse protagonists: Virgil, a shy and introspective boy; Valencia, a deaf girl with a penchant for adventure; Kaori, a self-proclaimed psychic with a love for her pet guinea pig; and Chet, a bully with a secret. When Virgil gets trapped in a well, the other three characters come together to rescue him, and their unique personalities and strengths shine as they navigate challenges and embark on an unexpected journey.

I loved the representation of diverse characters and their rich cultural backgrounds. Kelly weaves in Filipino folklore and mythology, as well as deaf culture, in a way that is both informative and engaging. The friendships that develop among the characters are heartwarming, and the messages of empathy, self-acceptance, and standing up to bullies are powerful and resonant.

The writing style is accessible and engaging, making it suitable for middle-grade readers and beyond. The plot is well-paced, with a mix of humor, adventure, and moments of quiet introspection. The characters are well-developed and relatable, each with their own strengths, weaknesses, and struggles that readers can easily connect with.… (més)

6/10, looking back at this book it wasn't a good middle grade novel and I highly doubt that I'd pick up this book again but I haven't read her other books like Hello, Universe and We Dream of Space and they sound more promising and intriguing as this, where do I even begin. It starts off with 12 characters living in a town called Fawn Creek, hence the name and I found it hard to keep track of every single one of them but at least there's a page with all of their names on it but anyways nothing ever changes there until a new character called Orchid Mason arrives. She was different from everyone else because she claims that she visited New York and even Paris and that impressed them which happens only a few pages after the introduction of Fawn Creek; I liked that part because it shows the tight knit community of it and all the people there know each other. It however quickly got tedious to read as it was funny and charming at first however as it dragged on I started to not enjoy it and towards the end some of the characters visited Orchid's home, turns out that she just moved from town to town and never actually visited New York and Paris; I wondered why would she lie about that just to make herself feel better or something along the lines of that but anyways the ending just petered out and wrapped up the book on a low note.… (més)

Fawn Creek, Louisiana is a town so small that there are only 12 children in the entire seventh-grade class and they've all known each other since kindergarten. That is, until newcomer Orchid Mason shows up at their school with tales of her life before Fawn Creek in far-flung places like Paris and New York.

This was a strange book. The author is no hack so the book is well-written. But it's somehow got a large scope (13 middle school students all as more-or-less main characters) and a small stage (tiny town with tiny problems) all at the same time. Nothing really happens in the book, other than a local dance. Yet at the same time, characters make movements toward growth as people accepting of themselves and others.

Despite having a bit of climactic moment with the fight that breaks out at the dance, the ending just kind of fizzles out. I don't like that many things were introduced just to be left up in the air or not fully explained. The book somehow feels fairly innocent for seventh graders (although likely the actual audience of readers would be children slightly younger), but then the last few chapters throw around concepts and words including "junkie," "prostitute," and "prison," without going into any follow-up about whether any of those rumors are true. In general, the adults in the town are useless, either not paying attention or not being supportive so there's nothing really guiding the children in the book nor the ones reading it.

While I don't think this was a bad book per se, I struggle to think of anyone I would recommend it to as I think there are far better realistic fiction books for a middle-grade audience out there already -- some even by this very same author!… (més)

Marisol is a little girl with a great imagination -- and one big fear. She loves the large tree in her yard so much that she's named it, but she's too afraid to climb the tree. With the help of her friends and family, can Marisol face this fear?

This is a short and sweet story about a young child learning to face her fears and persevere. I'm sure it's great for the intended audience and the message is, of course, a positive one.

Having read some of the author's middle-grade novels, I guess I was expecting something a little more substantial, but this is fine for the younger audience it's written towards.

I did read this book more than a year ago, so my memories are as sketchy as this review.… (més)