Now Carlos has brought us into the lives of these clever and their parents who seem (mostly) normal yet who broadcast both the alien presence and familiarity of their paternidad so that we read it from inside their offspring. I look forward to reading whatever they are writing, and being introduced to their work and that of their friends is for me like waking up in another universe: unfamiliar, yes unsettling, perhaps but eye-popping and dream-inspiring, radiating hope from even the most dystopian page.

So whatever else happens, the story has a happy beginning and ending. Not just for assimilated middle schoolers!įull disclosure: The author is married to my daughter. WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? DOWNLOAD IT!!!!! The narrator, Anthony Rey Perez, gives it just the right Latinx flair! I hope there will be more. There isn't enough room here nor enough words for me to tell you how much you need to hear this book. He has a beautiful family, but he's also known tragedy, so he has so much depth for a middle school kid. He is absolutely hilarious! He's also very intelligent emotionally. I am absolutely blown away! Hernandez may have dethroned Riordan as my favorite JF writer! Sal, the main character, narrates.

I think I've listened to all of Rick Riordan's series and now all of 'Rick Riordan Presents.' I wasn't in a hurry to download this one, because it seemed to be more science fiction than based in the cultural mythologies. If I could give this book ten stars, I would! I am a huge fan of Juvenile Fiction. If You Love Juvenile Fiction You Must Listen! She could use his help, too, because she has a newborn brother on life support.īut just because Sal and Gabi can do some interesting things to improve lives, does that mean they should? When things get out of hand, it's going to require some truly out-of-the-box thinking to set things right. But when he meets Gabi, the student council president and editor of the school paper, he realizes she is someone with whom he can work. At Culeco, his performing arts middle school, he just chalks it up to being a magician. Sal doesn't talk about his ability with anyone. Turns out he can reach into time and space to retrieve things from other universes - even his mom! He has promised his dad and stepmom that he won't bring back his mother anymore (it causes a lot of marital tension), but sometimes, he can't help himself. But no one expected him to be able to take it further and 'relax' things into existence. In order to heal after his mother's death, Sal learned how to meditate. Rick Riordan presents a brilliant sci-fi romp with Cuban influence that poses this question: 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)?

Sal & gabi