Sal and Gabi Break the Universe

I heard that this book was good, but I didn't expect to like it -- I've read several Riordan/Riordan presents titles, and while I am totally behind them as a genre, they generally just don't do much for me. (I can't explain it). This, on the the other hand, this book! Is. A. Delight. To. My. Soul. It is so funny and so genuine and so heartwarming and so ridiculous and so full of sorrow and mystery and death and calm, funny reactions. It's like a freaking manual for Self Care SEL and how to manipulate adults by being excessively polite and OH MY GOD is that refreshing. I love the Gabi Dads, I love American StepMom, I love Sal and Gabi and I particularly adore the Entropy sweeper. Eleventy million thumbs up for the audio book narrator, show more who does an amazing job, and honestly, if anything in this review is off-putting to you, put the review down, call me names, and go pick up the book. It will make you feel better. SO GOOD. Are there more stars? Can I give it more stars? It's Murderbot good. It's Inspector Gamache good. It's verging on....yes, I think it's Terry Pratchett good. I'm telling you, this book is fantastic. show less

This book is made out of empathy and calamitrons.

I love this book so much that before I even finished it, I ran out and bought another copy to gift to my kid's fourth grade class.

Sal is diabetic. And a magician. And new at a school for kids interested in the performing arts. And, oh yeah, he can create holes into parallel universes and pull through things he needs. A fact he discovers after his mother dies, and he subconsciously reaches into another universe to grab an almost-but-not-quite right replacement. Gabi is a brilliant hyper-achiever with amazing barettes who immediately needs to know what is Sal's deal. And Gabi's tiny newborn baby brother is maybe (probably) dying.

I cannot stress enough how incredibly kind this book is. For a show more book that opens with an act of bullying, it ends up nowhere you'd expect. It is full of good teachers, good principals, good (if often amazingly unconventional) parents, good nurses, who try hard to do their best by everyone, even when they sometimes mess it up. Even so, it is sometimes hard, and bewildering, and never the kind of simple over sweetness that rots your teeth.

But it is also very silly, with great kid-slang and giggle-worthy antics. After all, the entire plot is set in motion when Sal summons a real plucked chicken into a bully's locker as a distraction technique. (It is very effective.) There is also manic AI, in the form of a calamitron detector that is very excited about its job.

And, oh yeah, calamitrons! It turns out moving objects in between universes has consequences, and in this book those consequences are calamitrons -- little particles of trouble that accumulate wherever there is a breech. Whether the particles themselves are actually trouble or whether they just indicate unsealed holes -- which is a whole lot of potential trouble -- isn't fully explained (to my memory). Maybe in the sequel?

I am obviously buying the sequel. show less

This absolutely delightful young adult novel is narrated by the seemingly average Sal Vidón, a kid who just moved to Florida in the first week at his new school. Sal likes to perform magic tricks, and is helped by a secret power that allows him to take and exchange things with alternate universes. This causes trouble when he inadvertently brings alternate versions of his late mother into his home with his father and stepmom.

Over the course of the novel, he befriends Gabi Reál, the school's hypercompetent and outgoing student president. Together they have to work together to try to heal the tear in the universe Sal created, while also using the multiverse to help heal Gabi's infant brother from a mortal illness. It's a charming story show more that combines a fish-out-of-water middle school plot with absolutely bizarre science fiction twists and turns and elements of Cuban mythology. show less

Sal Vidon is one of the most charming characters I’ve encountered in a middle grade fantasy series. He’s funny, self-deprecating, and relatable, even if his demeanor isn’t exactly typical of a middle schooler. It’s a joy to follow him as he starts at a new school filled with overachievers of all kinds. Early on, he repeatedly clashes with Gabi, an exceptionally bright, outgoing, and determined student, but their relationship gradually grows into a meaningful friendship. Sci-fi elements appear through Sal’s “magic” tricks and later through other characters as well. While the science fiction will captivate many readers, it’s the lovable characters and the honest portrayal of loss, hardship, and the power of friendship that show more will resonate with everyone. show less

This was a good entry in the "Rick Riordan presents" catalogue of new middle-grade, mythology-infused series. This one has a Cuban influence, but in a twist the focus is more on sci-fi, multiverse concepts than on myths and legends. It's also incredibly inclusive and has a lot of points with with readers can connect and identify. It's got male and female double-billing; its male star, Sal, is managing life with diabetes and after the death of his mother, and its female star, Gabi, has a loving and complex family of many dads and a brother born prematurely with a poor immune system. It's unique and vital and a lot of fun. I'll be reading the sequel.

This breaks the Riordan mold, while remaining true to what makes the books popular. I really liked it despite all the ways it confused me.

Mold-breaking stuff:

1. Mythology/folklore doesn't play a big role in the plot. There are many references to Cuban culture, but the plot is mostly driven by science fiction themes like calamity physics and the multiverse.

2. There are no supernatural god or demigod characters. Just humans and robots.

3. There are no villains! Honestly, I love a story with no bad guys. The conflict is between humans, disease, and the unknowable mysteries of the universe.

I was confused by the lack of a bad guy for awhile. I kept waiting for there to be an evil Sal or something, but it didn't happen. I was confused show more when conflict seemed to arise and then fizzled and was not a big deal after all. The ultimate drama (trying to save baby Ignacio's life) comes late in the book and is resolved alongside the overarching drama of Sal working through the death of his mother. It was actually beautifully done, but since I expected something completely different, I felt befuddled by the plot.

Things I loved about this book:

1. It's so funny, both in the strange scenarios dreamed up by the author and in his playful use of language. Also it has tons of puns.

2. The characters are so lovable. Somehow everyone is goodhearted while also feeling realistically flawed. The closest thing this book has to an unlikable character is a girl who is annoyingly superstitious and afraid of Sal.

3. It explores some big themes (grief, powerlessness, disease) in an engaging and mind-opening way. It's accessible and entertaining to middle grade readers without watering down the seriousness and ambiguity of these themes.

Very excited to real the sequel next year. show less

This is a playful middle school romp that nonetheless deals with some serious topics such as death, bullying, and quantum physics. Having just started at a new school in Miami, 7th grader Sal is able to solve many of his problems by using magic, both normal and extraordinary. It's not long before he has befriended Gabi, the class president and newspaper editor, because amazingly enough she can understand and appreciate his super powers. There is laugh-out-loud comedy to offset the sadness of a dead mother and dying baby. Hernandez must have had fun dreaming up all the names of Gabi's dads, (such as Daditarium, Dada-dada-dada-Dadman, and Grizzly Dad'ums) and indeed he seems very fond of all his characters, even the adults and the bully. show more The first of a series, readers who enjoy zany characters and capers more than realism will be looking forward to the next installment show less