LoveReading4Kids Says
LoveReading4Kids Says
In a nutshell: hopeful, inspiring story of one boy’s brave journey to find the truth | Space-obsessive Alex Petroski is an unusual eleven-year-old, caring single-handedly for his depressed mother and his puppy Carl Sagan (named after Alex’s hero). Readers are given unique insight into Alex’s life because he records it all on an iPod, which he plans to send into space to give aliens a detailed idea of life on Earth. Though to his disappointment he never gets the opportunity to record the heartbeat of a man in love, the journey Alex undertakes more than makes up for that: we travel with him from Colorado to Las Vegas, via the Southwest High-Altitude Rocket Festival, where he tries and fails to launch his rocket, and along the way he makes new friends, and discovers family he never knew he had. Alex is an unforgettable character, his story is poignant, hopeful and – as his bravery is rewarded – inspiring too.
Recommended for readers who enjoy Alex’s adventure are An Island of Our Own, by Sally Nicholls, another story of children undertaking an important journey without the help of adults; Time Travelling with a Hamster by Ross Welford, which takes a scientific starting point to examine family relationships; and Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan in which an unusual young hero assembles a new family around her. ~ Andrea Reece
March 2017 Debut of the Month
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About
See You in the Cosmos Synopsis
"I haven't read anything that has moved me this much since Wonder." -Jennifer Niven, author of All the Bright Places
A space-obsessed boy and his dog, Carl Sagan, take a journey toward family, love, hope, and awe in this funny and moving novel for fans of Counting by 7s, Walk Two Moons, and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.
11-year-old Alex Petroski loves space and rockets, his mom, his brother, and his dog Carl Sagan-named for his hero, the real-life astronomer. All he wants is to launch his golden iPod into space the way Carl Sagan (the man, not the dog) launched his Golden Record on the Voyager spacecraft in 1977. From Colorado to New Mexico, Las Vegas to L.A., Alex records a journey on his iPod to show other lifeforms what life on earth, his earth, is like. But his destination keeps changing. And the funny, lost, remarkable people he meets along the way can only partially prepare him for the secrets he'll uncover-from the truth about his long-dead dad to the fact that, for a kid with a troubled mom and a mostly not-around brother, he has way more family than he ever knew.
Jack Cheng's debut is full of joy, optimism, determination, and unbelievable heart. To read the first page is to fall in love with Alex and his view of our big, beautiful, complicated world. To read the last is to know he and his story will stay with you a long, long time.
"Stellar." -Entertainment Weekly
"Life-embracing." -The Wall Street Journal
"Works beautifully." -The New York Times Book Review
"Irresistible." -The Chicago Tribune
"The best I've read in a long, long time." -Holly Goldberg Sloan, author of Counting by 7s
"Riveting, inspiring, and sometimes hilarious." -Kirkus, starred review
"A propulsive stream-of-conscious dive." -Publishers Weekly, starred review
"A gift-a miracle." -Paul Griffin, author When Friendship Followed Me Home
"Exuberant." -Booklist
"Full of the real kind of magic." -Ally Condie, author of Matched
"Absorbing, irresistible." -Common Sense Media
"Incredible." -BookRiot
"Full of innocence and unwavering optimism." -SLC
"Inspiring." -Time for Kids
"Powerfully affirms our human capacity for grace and love and understanding." -Gary D. Schmidt, author of Okay for Now
About This Edition
| ISBN: |
9780399186370 |
| Publication date: |
28th February 2017 |
| Author: |
Jack Cheng |
| Publisher: |
The Dial Press an imprint of Penguin Young Readers Group |
| Format: |
Hardback |
| Pagination: |
314 pages |
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Press Reviews
Jack Cheng Press Reviews
Alex is an unforgettably lovely narrator, and is story is out of this world Robin Stevens, author of Murder Most Unladylike
Falling in love with a new book: the very beautiful See You in the Cosmos... this is something special Emily Drabble, Booktrust
I haven't read anything that has moved me this much since Wonder Jennifer Niven, author of All the Bright Places
I love this book - the characters, the story, but most of all, the voice that writer Jack Cheng has created. See You in the Cosmos is the best I've read in a long, long, long time. It's a story that changes the way you see the world. -- Holly Goldberg Sloan, bestselling author of Counting by 7's
Alex Petroski has a big mind, big dreams, and a big heart. His story is full of the real kind of magic-friends well-met, surprising journeys, and heartbreak and hope. This is a beautiful book. -- Ally Condie, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Matched
It is not always that we read a novel that so powerfully affirms our human capacity for grace and love and understanding; we need this book for the ways in which it gives us more to be human beings with. And it gives us Alex, whose face is turned to the stars. -- Gary D. Schmidt, author of National Book Award finalist Okay for Now
This novel is a gift - a miracle. Alex fights with all of his magnificent, compassionate heart to remind us that we humans are first, last, and always creatures of hope. Jack Cheng is as brilliant as his debut, and more than that, he is wise. His novel made me want to be a better person. -- Paul Griffin, author of When Friendship Followed Me Home
Author
About Jack Cheng
Jack Cheng was born in Shanghai and grew up in Michigan. After spending nearly a decade in New York, working in advertising and tech, he now lives in Detroit. See you in the Cosmos is his first novel for young readers.
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