Hello, Universe, Reviewed by Pragnya, 12 January 18, 2021 The Universe is a vastly strange place. It can bring a group of people from completely different worlds together, and create a string of coincidences so distinct yet so intricate almost no one can comprehend how exactly it happened. Hello, Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly is an intriguing, cleverly plotted and heartwarming novel about friendships, personalities, embracing your inner quirkiness and learning to be yourself, all mixed together with a touch of coincidence and that thing we all experience called life. The story is about 4 middle-graders: Virgil, a shy,thoughtful Filipino-American boy filled with folktales told by his Lola and his pet guinea pig Gulliver, Valencia, a determined yet easily underestimated young girl because of her hearing disability, and witty Kaori Tanaka and her little sister Gen, two astrology-obsessed fortune tellers who run a business. As far as they were concerned, they were just normal kids that happened to live in the same neighborhood. Until, Chet Bullens, a notorious bully, traps Virgil and Gulliver in the woods and makes them land up into a well. From there, it is up to Valencia, Kaori and Gen to band together and search for Virgil, and save him before it is too late. Meanwhile, Virgil takes time to reflect on everything, and starts to discover his inner bayani (hero). Will they get to Virgil before it's too late? And how coincidental really is our universe?