ARC, 382 pagesRelease Date: March 5, 2019Published by: Rick Riordan Presents
Read from: February 23- March 1, 2019Sal and Gabi, #1Source: #NCTE19TW: Sick infantFor fans of: Science Fiction, POC MC, Own Voices, Adventure, Sparkly Covers, MG
How did a raw chicken get inside Yasmany's locker? 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 a 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.
*MY THOUGHTS*
Any time I see a book coming out from Rick Riordan Presents, it becomes an automatic add. I've loved almost every one of them, and this one is no different! I'm so excited for this to get into the hands of young readers!
"I probably shouldn't have said anything. But he called me a sandwich. Some insults you can't let slide."pg. 3
Sal has been to the principal's office far too many times during the first week of school. It's there that he meets Gabi, who's there to help her friend. But Sal has somehow gotten rid of the very thing that landed them there at the principal.... A raw chicken. Soon Gabi realizes that Sal can do more than what she (and he) originally thought. So, they begin to practice. But as they do, they soon begin to see that their practicing endangers the entire universe of breaking.
"...I like weird things. Weird is the opposite of boring."pg. 84
For someone who doesn't care much for science fiction and time travel, I have to say this was a pleasant surprise. I find these types of books to be hard to follow, but maybe because it's a middle grade novel, it wasn't bad at all in this one. There wasn't too much science talk, but when there was, it didn't seem like "real" science talk so it was fine lol (If that makes sense!)
"The world is full of invisible enemies. Like diabetes."pg. 130
The one thing I didn't care for was the plot. I felt like I missed some huge prequel. For instance, Hernandez never really goes into detail on how Sal finds out he can do this or how it even starts. It felt like I missed out on some huge piece of information and that bothered me. I read the whole book waiting for an explanation of it and unfortunately, it never came.
"...what you learn as you grow up is that everybody needs help. [...] Trust in the people who love you."pg. 229
The main thing that I loved though was the writing style. I always know I love the way a book is written by the way I feel while I'm reading it. I cycled through so many emotions as I read this! I laughed at some places and I got so sad in others. As much as I didn't care for the WAY this story was told, the language it used and the emotion put into the story was amazing.
"Friendship is magic."pg. 231
Lastly, readers be aware that there isn't a cliffhanger, but a bit of a bomb that's dropped at the end of the book. It'll leave you looking forward to the next book in the series. I hope everything that's brought up at the end is answered in the next one, because I am super interested in this whole cat situation. (Also it makes me nervous for the person it's happening to lol)
"The problem with pretending is that eventually you have to stop. It never, ever, ever lasts long enough."pg. 280
The book has its faults, but for the most part, the story is funny and entertaining. Sal and Gabi are both characters to watch.... If nothing else but to make sure they haven't let more calamitrons into the universe....
Overall, I give this
