Eleven-year-old Virgil “Virgilio” Salinas is a quiet, kind-hearted boy who believes in magic, premonitions, and signs—mostly because his great-grandmother Lola tells him Filipino folktales of three-headed monsters and crocodile warriors. Virgil loves two things as much as he loves Lola: his pet guinea pig, Gulliver, and his crush, Valencia Somerset, who is deaf. But Virgil and Valencia have never met. Disappointed in himself for going another school year without approaching Valencia, he asks Kaori—a twelve-year-old, self-proclaimed psychic—if she’ll help get Valencia to notice him. Kaori has Virgil search for five different-sized stones to bring back to her the next day. Virgil’s search for the stones quickly leads to disaster, however, when he’s cornered by Chet, the school bully, who steals Virgil’s backpack and throws it down a well, not realizing Gulliver is inside. A terrified Virgil enters the well to save his beloved pet, only to find himself trapped at the bottom with no way out. Kaori, concerned when Virgil doesn’t show up for his appointment, enlists her newest client—who just happens to be Valencia—to find him. Along with Kaori’s little sister Gen, they set off to search for Virgil, developing their own new friendship along the way. Sometimes four can do what one cannot. Through luck, smarts, bravery, one jump rope, and a little help from the universe, Kaori, Valencia, and Gen find and rescue Virgil. And Virgil discovers the strength both to stand up for himself and to talk to Valencia. With her third novel, acclaimed author Erin Entrada Kelly continues to prove she’s a master at creating stories with a genuine tween voice. In a starred review, Kirkus calls Hello, Universe, “An original and resonant exploration of interconnectedness and friendship.” Fans of Thanhha Lai and Katherine Applegate will love this stand-alone novel.