Description: Winner of the 2018 Newbery Medal! Stories of everyday adventures that make life extraordinary! [Washington Post] Best Children's Book of 2017 [School Library Journal] Best Book of 2017 New York Public Library Best Book of 2017 Chicago Public Library Best Book of 2017 Los Angeles Public Library Best Book of 2017 Selected as Best Multicultural Children's Book of 2017 by the Center for the Study of Multicultural Children's Literature Selected as a Must-Read Book of 2017 by NPR Selected as a Notable Book of 2018 by Capital Choices Selected as a Notable Book of 2018 by the Association for Library Service to Children Texas Library Association Bluebonnet Award 2018-2019 Recommended Reading New York Times Bestseller Amazon Bestseller Hello, Universe was awarded the 2018 Newbery Medal, given to the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. The Newbery Medal, the most trusted children's literature award with a history of nearly 100 years since 1922, praised Hello, Universe for its creative ensemble of characters woven through shifting perspectives, and for its modern adventure story that shines with humor and genuine emotion. This story chronicles one remarkable day in the lives of four kids about to start middle school. The seemingly unconnected lives of these four children become intertwined, told through shifting points of view. Each chapter passes the narrating role to a different one of the four main characters. And what happens that one day, centered around a well, feels less like coincidence and more like fate. And to every reader who finishes this book, it asks, in the names of Virgil, Valencia, Kaori, and Chet Bullens: 'Can our lives be changed by a single word?' Virgil Salinas is shy and thoughtful. Valencia Somerset is smart and stubborn. Kaori Tanaka is a fortune-teller who can see into the future. Chet 'Bull' Bullens is the meanest bully in the neighborhood. These four eleven-year-olds aren't friends. They don't even go to the same school. But on the day Chet Bullens plays a terrible trick on Virgil and his pet guinea pig Gulliver, the universes of these four collide in an unimaginable, astonishing way, bringing them face to face with one another. Should we call what happened to them mere coincidence? Or is there no such thing as coincidence in this world? A 2018 Newbery Medal Winner That Shines with Humor and Heart Established in 1922, the Newbery Medal is awarded annually to a distinguished contribution to children's literature. One of the oldest children's literature awards, it was given in 2018 to Erin Entrada Kelly's third novel, Hello, Universe. Kelly's Newbery win marks the fourth time an Asian American author has received the award, and the first time for a Filipino American author. This novel touches on themes Kelly often explores—diversity and bullying—reflecting her own experiences growing up as an Asian American. In Hello, Universe, the bullying neighborhood tyrant Chet Bullens torments the shy, timid Virgil, ultimately causing the universes of Kaori and Valencia to collide as well. Yet the story never feels heavy or somber. It's humorous, and the characters' emotions are so vividly drawn that readers are easily swept into the story—with a smile on their face. And in the end, readers catch a glimpse of the beginning of a (perhaps) lovely friendship. Fall in Love with the Vivid Emotions of Every Character! Upon receiving the Newbery Medal for Hello, Universe, author Erin Entrada Kelly said: 'I don't write with readers in mind. I write only for the characters in my novels—shy, lonely Virgil Salinas, who never gets noticed; Valencia, who dreams of being the next Jane Goodall but has no friends... I write for these kids, because I was one of them, and in many ways, I still am.' As the author says, the characters in Kelly's novel feel vividly alive—so real you can almost imagine meeting Virgil and Chet Bullens on the street. This vivid characterization is one of the great strengths of Kelly's writing. Shy, bashful Virgil...