Sal and Gabi Break the Universe by Carlos Hernandez, is a new series from the Rick Riordan Presents collection. I have been so impressed with all of the releases over the last year, and Sal and Gabi are no exception.
Unlike many of the books from Rick Riordan Presents, Sal and Gabi Break the Universe is not about mythology. This is the only thing that disappointed me, but I quickly got over it. (I was really hoping for Cuban mythology.)
Gabi and Sal are wonderfully written, well-developed characters. As soon as each one is introduced I fall in love with them. Especially Sal, who comes across as charismatic and practical, will Gabi beams with self-confidence. Combined the two make an amazing duo.
Should we do the right thing, even if it’s going to cause great harm?
This is what Sal and Gabi struggle with, but for good reason. As a magician, Sal is able to bring things in from other universes. Obviously, this causes a problem, but not the way one would think. We aren’t talking about just messing with time, this is an actual dimensional rift!
As a middle grades book, Sal and Gabi Break the Universe makes a jealous that there weren’t books like this and many others from the Rick Riordan series when I was growing up. My ten-year-old son really enjoyed reading this book. He fell in love with its strong characters and engaging storyline.
Highly Recommended.
About Sal and Gabi Break the Universe:
When Sal Vidon meets Gabi Real for the first time, it isn’t under the best of circumstances. Sal is in the principal’s office for the third time in three days, and it’s still the first week of school. Gabi, student council president and editor of the school paper, is there to support her friend Yasmany, who just picked a fight with Sal. She is determined to prove that somehow, Sal planted a raw chicken in Yasmany’s locker, even though nobody saw him do it and the bloody poultry has since mysteriously disappeared. Sal prides himself on being an excellent magician, but for this sleight of hand, he relied on talent no one would guess . . . except maybe Gabi, whose sharp eyes never miss a trick. When Gabi learns that he’s capable of conjuring things much bigger than a chicken–including his dead mother–and she takes it all in stride, Sal knows that she is someone he can work with. There’s only one slight problem: their manipulation of time and space could put the entire universe at risk. A sassy entropy sweeper, a documentary about wedgies, a principal who wears a Venetian bauta mask, and heaping platefuls of Cuban food are just some of the delights that await in his mind-blowing novel gift-wrapped in love and laughter
