Sal and Gabi Break the Universe
By Carlos Hernandez
Guest Review by Sally Castillo (Lewis & Clark MAT 2021-2022)

 

Sal and Gabi Break the Universe starts with an ordinary “new kid at school” plot device. Sal Vidón, who recently moved to Miami from Connecticut, gets sent to the Principal’s office on his third day at his new school. Why? He needed to stand up to a bully, so he transported a raw chicken from a parallel universe into said bully’s locker. 

As its beginning suggests, this middle grade novel is no typical school drama. Sure, Sal has to learn how to make new friends in a new city, all while figuring out how to ace his latest school assignment. But he’s also worrying about accidentally summoning his Mami Muerta into his universe from a parallel one and, as a result, causing irreparable harm to reality. Sal and Gabi Break the Universe is a sci-fi romp through the multiverse, set against a vibrant backdrop of Cuban-Miamian culture. It impresses with raw originality, from consciousness-seeking AI characters, to Gabi’s infinite (and gender-bending) dads, to a teacher called Dr. Doctorpants who arrives at school each day dressed in an elaborate cosplay costume. It also addresses heavy and real topics in the lives of middle school students, including grief, parental abuse, and living with diabetes. It does this work, and more, with heart, humor, and a good dash of calamity physics.

Notably, almost every character in this novel is Cuban-American, but it’s not the central focus. Cuban culture acts as the foundation for this journey, but characters never need to grapple with their racial identity, deal with a racist comment, or run from la migra. Instead, Carlos Hernandez carefully constructs individual Cuban American characters who may speak Spanish, or may not, who are scientists, magicians, weathermen, artists, caring family members, and great cooks. In his character portrayals, Hernandez sends a clear message: there is no “one right way” to be Cuban-American. Be yourself, and you’ll still be Cuban. It’s a message many young people need to hear, especially if they have received messages from peers that they must behave, look, or speak a certain way to claim their ethnicity or cultural heritage.

Youth need original books that teach them how to handle heavy feelings and situations with heart and empathy. They also need novels that won’t preach at them about the “right thing to do” when your mom dies, or when someone’s bullying you. Sal and Gabi Break the Universe delivers on both counts. Every main character at one point confronts difficult emotions or a seemingly impossible situation, and through the love of their community, they find ways to move forward. Sal’s unique sarcastic-yet-charming narrative voice introduces these moments with just the right amount of insight and humor. This is the perfect novel for a middle school student who is interested in magic or the multiverse, or who enjoys English-Spanish narration, or who wants to read about a protagonist who (perhaps like them) is living a normal life while managing diabetes. No matter the reader, they’re guaranteed to find a window or a mirror in one of the marvelous facets of this book’s multiverse.

Sal and Gabi Break the Universe is an adventure novel about friendship, chosen family, and metaphysics. It is most appropriate for readers ages 10-14.