Rick Riordan Presents: Sal and Gabi Break the Universe-A Sal and Gabi Novel, Book 1

Best-selling author Rick Riordan presents a brilliant sci-fi romp with Cuban influence by Carlos Hernandez, winner of the 2020 Pura Belpré Award.

"I love this book in every possible universe! With a surprise on every page and two of the most cosmically awesome, vividly unique heroes I've ever read, this sweet, hilarious book made me so happy."--Tui T. Sutherland, author of the New York Times best-selling Wings of Fire series

What would you do if you had the power to reach through time and space and retrieve anything you want, including your mother, who is no longer living (in this universe, anyway)?

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.

Endorsed by Rick Riordan, author of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, soon to be a series on Disney+.

Author: Carlos Hernandez
Publisher: Rick Riordan Presents
Published: 03/05/2019
Pages: 400
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.25lbs
Size: 8.30h x 5.60w x 1.40d
ISBN: 9781368022828
Audience: Ages 9-12

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 4.9
Point Value: 14
Interest Level: Middle Grade
Quiz #/Name: 501783 / Sal & Gabi Break the Universe


Award: Pura Belpre Award - Winner


Review Citation(s):
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 02/01/2019
School Library Journal 02/01/2019 pg. 58
Kirkus Reviews 01/15/2019 pg. 97
Publishers Weekly 12/17/2018
Booklist 02/01/2019 pg. 73

About the Author
Carlos Hernandez has published more than thirty works for fiction, poetry, and drama, most notably a book of short stories for adults entitled The Assimilated Cuban's Guide to Quantum Santeria. He is an English professor at City University of New York, and he loves to both play games and design them. He lives with his wife, Claire, in Queens, New York. Follow him on Twitter: @WriteTeachPlay.