Hello, Universe

Hello, Universe
by Erin Entrada Kelly

From the publisher:
"Winner of the 2018 Newbery Medal 

In one day, four lives weave together in unexpected ways. Virgil Salinas is shy and kindhearted and feels out of place in his loud and boisterous family. Valencia Somerset, who is deaf, is smart, brave, and secretly lonely, and loves everything about nature. Kaori Tanaka is a self-proclaimed psychic, whose little sister Gen is always following her around. And Chet Bullens wishes the weird kids would just act normal so that he can concentrate on basketball. They aren’t friends -- at least not until Chet pulls a prank that traps Virgil and his pet guinea pig at the bottom of a well. This disaster leads Kaori, Gen, and Valencia on an epic quest to find the missing Virgil. Through luck, smarts, bravery, and a little help from the universe, a rescue is performed, a bully is put in his place, and friendship blooms."

Once again, Newbery Committee, I would just like to say, "What. The. Heck?!" How about instead of only picking books that teach kids diversity, you pick a book that teaches kids about strong parent-child relationships? Or maybe kindness and compassion? Every parent in this book was completely idiotic, and yes, that includes you, Lola, the grandmother. Filling Virgil's head with thoughts of boys being eaten by everything from rocks to crocodiles? Isn't traumatizing him just as bad as calling him Turtle? You may have loved him, but I'm pretty sure that is not how to deal with an ultra-sensitive 11 year old. In my opinion this was a mildly enjoyable book with a lot of flaws, so if this was the best we had in 2018, than it is a sad commentary on children's literature that year. It wasn't horrible, just very underwhelming. I rarely agree with the Newbery Committee, but I haven't felt this upset at the committee since The One and Only Ivan won and Wonder didn't even get an Honor.

Will middle schoolers like it? One of my main concerns is the cover. It makes it look very young. I have had this on my main display since September and it has only been checked out 3 times. I would say this book might work better for elementary. The main characters are all quite quirky, so I'm not sure how that will go over, either. 

Areas of concern:
*A bully who almost kills someone and has zero repercussions.
*11 year olds who are gone for hours at a time and their parents have no idea where they are.
(Does it sound like my rant is continuing? There are not many areas of concern here.) 

Suggested Ages:

Publisher's Weekly - Ages 8-12

School Library Journal - Grades 3-7

The Amulet of Samarkand

The Amulet of
Samarkand
by Jonathan Stroud

From the publisher:
"Nathaniel is a boy magician-in-training, sold to the government by his birth parents at the age of five and sent to live as an apprentice to a master. Powerful magicians rule Britain, and its empire, and Nathaniel is told his is the "ultimate sacrifice" for a "noble destiny." 

If leaving his parents and erasing his past life isn't tough enough, Nathaniel's master, Arthur Underwood, is a cold, condescending, and cruel middle-ranking magician in the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The boy's only saving grace is the master's wife, Martha Underwood, who shows him genuine affection that he rewards with fierce devotion. Nathaniel gets along tolerably well over the years in the Underwood household until the summer before his eleventh birthday. Everything changes when he is publicly humiliated by the ruthless magician Simon Lovelace and betrayed by his cowardly master who does not defend him.

Nathaniel vows revenge. In a Faustian fever, he devours magical texts and hones his magic skills, all the while trying to appear subservient to his master. When he musters the strength to summon the 5,000-year-old djinni Bartimaeus to avenge Lovelace by stealing the powerful Amulet of Samarkand, the boy magician plunges into a situation more dangerous and deadly than anything he could ever imagine. "

I really struggle with books when I don't like one of the main characters (ie - Artemis Fowl), and while I enjoyed Bartimaeus, I definitely did not like Nathaniel. So much so that I almost stopped reading this. I also found the constant footnotes obnoxious and distracting and there are not many middle school children in the world who will take the time to read them. It also seemed quite long. However, Bartimaeus kept me going with his boasting and quick wit. There is plenty of action, even though it seemed to drag sometimes, and I'm sure the remaining books in the series will have just as much. 

It is odd that this author's Lockwood and Co. series is very popular in my library, but I can't get the kids who loved that series to read this one. If I find a good author I have to get my hands on everything they have written, but apparently there is something off-putting about the cover or synopsis that isn't catching the middle schoolers attention. Now, just because this wasn't my favorite doesn't mean the kids won't like it if they once get into it. After all, they love Artemis Fowl, so I'll still recommend it to the students who love mythology, mythological creatures and magicians.

Areas of concern:
*Violence between mythological creatures and magicians
*Sad death of a loved character
*A character is killed by a young boy

Suggested Ages:

Publisher's Weekly - Ages 10+

School Library Journal - Grades 5-9