I received this book at no cost from the publisher
See You in the Cosmos by Jack Cheng ISBN: 0399186379
Published by Dial Books on February 28th 2017
Genres: Coming of Age, Dogs, Family, Middle Grade, Self-Esteem & Self-Reliance, Social Issues
Pages: 320
Format: ARC
Goodreads
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 and Walk Two Moons.
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.
This is such a wonderful read that is full of hope, will make you laugh a bit and leave you with a feeling of satisfaction. Alex is 11 years old but in responsibility, he swears he is close to 13. His goal in life is to make a rocket that will take his golden iPod to space like Voyager that took the golden record out into space. He leaves for a rocket convention with his dog, named Carl Sagan, from his home in Colorado by train. While Alex is constantly one step ahead of the adults around him, he finds that they can also help him, which is something he hasn’t had too much from his own family. His brother is pursuing his career in Los Angeles, while he is living with his mother, who is withdrawn into her own world.
Along Alex’s travels, he meets interesting characters that help him on his new quest to find his father and along the way he discovers a half-sister. In the meantime, he loses his dog, Carl Sagan, and that almost breaks my heart. The story is just heart-warming as you follow Alex through his trials and finds that family isn’t really all about people that are related to you, but those who care. I really loved reading about Alex and his adventure. It really is a story that will make you feel good and possibly shed a tear or two. Parents: this should provoke some discussions but note there is language and a bit of drug and alcohol use by adults.
Carl Sagan is my favorite author and I’ll definitely have to read this book to see what he does as a dog in this book lol Thanks for the great review Mary!