Winner of the prestigious Newbery Medal for 2018, Hello Universe explores some common and not-socommon themes with a charming and funny deftness. We are issued into the world of four middle-school kids who are, for varying reasons, disenfranchised from the mainstream. One day, through mishap, their fates converge and offer up a new universe where friendship will be the winner.

Erin Entrada Kelly’s perfectly pitched novel encompasses multiculturalism, disability, loneliness, shyness and bullying. Does that sound like too many themes and dilemmas? It’s just a normal day in any community, but presented lightly and sensitively. I absolutely loved the characters in this kind exploration of friendship and self-acceptance; Hello Universe champions resilience and applauds difference and I heartily recommend it for girls and boys of 9+.

Alexa Dretzke is the assistant manager and children’s book buyer at Readings Hawthorn.