Publisher: Greenwillow Books, Harper Collins
Honors and Awards:
John Newbery Medal (2017)
Summary:
Virgil Salinas is the protagonist in this book. His character is shy and kindhearted and most of the time, he feels out of place in family who is driven by sports. The other leading character is Valencia Somerset, who is deaf, smart, and brave. Virgil learns throughout the book that Valencia is secretly lonely, and she loves everything in nature. Kaori Tanaka is the 3rd character who is a self-proclaimed psychic, whose little sister, Gen, is always following her around. The 4th character is Chet Bullens who is judgmental and wishes the weird kids would just stop being so different so he can concentrate on basketball.
The four of these character are not friends initially, until Chet pulls a prank on Virgil and his pet guinea pig, trapping them at the bottom of a well. Virgil is terrified, as he and the guinea pig are trapped in the dark, and even after yelling for help, for what seems for hours, no-one hears him. This disaster leads Kaori, Gen, and Valencia on an adventure to find missing Virgil. Through sheer luck, intelligence, wit, courage, and a little help from the universe, a rescue mission is underway, the bully Chet is put in his place, and friendship blooms.
Reading Level:
Lexile Measure: 690L
Guided Reading Level: Y
Page count: 352
Vocabulary
Kinship - a sharing of characteristics or origins.
Buddhism - a widespread Asian religion or philosophy.
Destiny - the events that will necessarily happen to a particular person or thing in the future.
Inevitable - certain to happen, it is unavoidable.
Constellations - a group of stars within a recognizable pattern that is traditionally named after its apparent form or identified with a mythological figure.
Sacred - connected with God, or dedicated to a religious purpose.
Obnoxious - extremely unpleasant.
Ominous - giving the impression that something bad is going to happen.
Ritual - a religious ceremony that consists of a series of actions performed to a prescribed order. Nomad - people who have no permanent place of residency, who travel from place to place to find fresh pasture for their livestock.
Collaborate - working with people, jointly on an activity, with the purpose to produce or create something.
Resources to Support Text
Interview with Erin Entrada Kelly - Interview video
Understanding Deafness - Educational video
Teacher's guide to Hello Universe
Building / activating schema
Traditional Literature: Folktales, Fairytales, and Fables - video on general information on these genres
The Zodiac Constellations: Crash Course - video on astrology
An Introduction to Phillippine Folklore - website on folklore stories
Paulo Coelho on luck, coincidence, and faith - video relating to Kaori's belief in the role of the universe in our lives
Lesson Activity
Begin the lesson by having a group discussion regarding the idea of identity, ideas to think about are:
Who we are, what ways do you think about yourself, the ways the class views the world, and the characteristics that define you as a person.
After a comprehensive list is compiled, students should pick three of the items on the list, and create a poem, referring to the link (worksheet). How do these three things contribute to who we are? Use descriptive language and imagination to complete the poem.
Create a Voki, recording your poem and share with your classmates.
Recommended grade level:
5th - 7th grade
Common Core State Standard
Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.
Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.
Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and well-structured event sequences.
Key words or phrases
Deaf
Psychic
Coincidence
Sacred
Universe
Friendships
Well
Jump rope
Before reading activity
Watch a video on Alzheimer's explained for kids, for students to gain a better understanding of what this is; building background schema. Write a paragraph on their understanding of what Alzheimers means.
During reading activity
Use the Characterization Page to review the definition of characterization, and different types of indirect characterization.
Choose a character to explore during the reading of the novel; i.e. Virgil, Valencia, Kaori, and Chet.
Use digital notebook to provide a comprehensive view of all the ideas listed below. Fill out each section during the reading process, ensuring that a page is dedicated to each heading:
- Appearance and name: What does the character look like? How does it affect the way they are treated?
- Speech: What kinds of words does the character use?
- Personal thoughts: What kinds of thoughts does the character have?
- Actions: What kinds of things does the character do? What insights can you glean from their actions?
- Culture and family influence: Is the culture a big influence on the characters life?
- Self-esteem and acceptance: How does the character feel about themselves? Are they accepted into their group?
After reading activity
Write 3 paragraphs addressing the following concepts:
Argument: This novel focuses on the concept of fate and coincidence. Some characters believe that all the events in the novel were meant to happen, while others do not agree with this statement. Make an argument as to whether you think the events were dictated by fate, or if everything was just a coincidence?
Informative / Explanatory: This book provides a platform for discussions about bullying. In a paragraph, discuss how bullying has an effect on Chet, Virgil, and Valencia. How does bullying effect the characters' feelings about themselves as well as relationships with others.
Narrative: The novel ends with Virgil sending a text message to Valencia saying "hello." Write a text message conversation between the two characters that would follow the "hello", taking into account all the information we have learned about throughout the book including feelings that Virgil has for Valencia.
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