CHILDREN’S BY MATIA BURNETT
W
hen author Carlos Her-
nandez wrote his short
story collection for adults,
The Assimilated Cuban’s Guide to
Quantum Santeria (Rosarium), he had
no idea that the characters from that
title would find their way into his first
children’s book, Sal and Gabi Break the
Universe. But one day a few years ago,
Hernandez received an unexpected
call—the kind that most writers can
only dream about. Stephanie Lurie,
editor-at-large at Disney, contacted
Hernandez; she explained that Rick
Riordan had read his book for adults.
He wondered if Hernandez might be
interested in writing a book for Rick Riordan
Presents, an imprint devoted to publishing
multicultural middle grade titles.
Hernandez—who was named a “Spring
2019 Flying Start” author by Publishers Weekly (an honor presented to first-time children’s book
authors)—decided to recast the adult characters in his story collection as middle schoolers. His
character Gabrielle Reál, a Cuban reporter who investigates the paranormal, became an editor of
an arts magnet school newspaper. Salvador Vidon, a Cuban physicist, became an aspiring magician
who has the ability to reach across the multiverse. As Gabi and Sal experiment with quantum
physics (Sal occasionally manages to bring his deceased mother back from alternate dimensions),
the two also bond over their experiences with chronic illness and grief.
In addition to channeling his love of sci-fi and fantasy into Sal and Gabi’s adventures, Hernan-
dez also valued the opportunity to integrate both Spanish and English into the story. He feels that
growing up bilingual greatly informed his writing. “All languages are full of wild metaphors—it’s
raining cats and dogs?—but you notice them more when you speak two languages, when you have
to translate the idioms of one language into another,” he told PW earlier this year. “I would not be
the writer I am without the imaginative backdrop of Spanish.” For Hernandez, writing stories with
diverse characters is about even more than reflecting the faces and experiences of his readers. “The
function of diversity in books, whether fiction or nonfiction, is to diversify your mind,” he says.
“Readers are drawn to expanding their understanding of the human condition. But they also crave
the way that reading evokes connection, fellow feeling, and even love, across space and time, via
our imaginations.”
Hernandez’s young characters are
soon to set off on a new multidimension-
al adventure, with Sal and Gabi Fix the
Universe publishing next spring. While
there will indeed be some universe fixing in
the second novel, “they also break it some
more,” Hernandez says. After all, “even
the smartest and kindest people we know
haven’t figured out how to fix everything
that needs fixing.” Hernandez’s suggestion?
“Build community,” he says. “Ask for help.
Be humble. Love. Take joy, and use that joy
to power your good works.”A NEW KIND OF
SUPERHERO
Saturday, Nov. 23, 4 p.m.
MDC Live Arts LabCarlos
Hernandez Fixes the Universe
The bestselling author
talks about his debut
children’s book, Sal and
Gabi Break the Universe,
and the importance
of diversity in books
PHOTO COURTESY OF AUTHOR“The function of diversity in books, whether fiction or
nonfiction, is to diversif y your mind.”MIAMI BOOK FAIR 23