Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.99 AVERAGE
3.99 AVERAGE
I liked the story a lot. The main character has a lot of energy, imagination, and a huge capacity for love and friendship.
The premise of a boy who loves space and Carl Sagan making recordings for alien beings is a great beginning to an exploration of what it means to be family and to love.
The book on CD features an actual kid as narrator plus different actors speaking for different roles which added something to the story although I wasn't very fond of the kid's voice.
I hope my 11-year-old space-loving son will enjoy this. I will read it to him so I can talk about some of the more sensitive subjects like a cheating father and a mother with schizophrenia.
The premise of a boy who loves space and Carl Sagan making recordings for alien beings is a great beginning to an exploration of what it means to be family and to love.
The book on CD features an actual kid as narrator plus different actors speaking for different roles which added something to the story although I wasn't very fond of the kid's voice.
I hope my 11-year-old space-loving son will enjoy this. I will read it to him so I can talk about some of the more sensitive subjects like a cheating father and a mother with schizophrenia.
If I ended up just reading this I would have given it 3 stars but I ended listening to the audio which was fabulous! Just a great production! I highly recommend it.
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
If you have the opportunity go with the audiobook version of this story, it is fantastic.
If you've read 'Wonder' by R. J. Palacio and absolutely loved it, then I highly recommend you pick up this book. Alex is an 11 year old boy who will melt your heart. He has so much to teach you about friendship, family, astrology jokes and so so much more.
Also, if you can get your hands on the audio book version then it's a must because the actor who voices Alex brings this book to life. There's multiple voice actors doing the other characters in the story too, the production value is top notch.
Also, if you can get your hands on the audio book version then it's a must because the actor who voices Alex brings this book to life. There's multiple voice actors doing the other characters in the story too, the production value is top notch.
Unique narration, very moving story for children about family and friendship... and space
Such a different idea - the entire narration is made up of audio recordings. Recordings that the main character is putting together to be blasted into space in a rocket he's making, as a record of life on Earth for the aliens who will one day discover them.
Alex constantly talks into his iPod about his life, his mum, his space obsessions, his dog (Carl Sagan). One day soon it will be heard by alien lifeforms. Alex is obsessed with building a rocket and entering it in a competition. With his mum having one of her many 'quiet' days, he takes his homemade rocket, his iPod, his dog, and travels across the country to the competition... Alex is 11. That's not going to stop him.
This is only the start of Alex's story - as you'd expect he meets a variety of characters along the way, and the story takes a few turns as we end up looking back at Alex's life and the story he tells us, understanding more about it as he filters it through his 11-year-old brain. It's a story with an unreliable narrator but also because it's a 'recording' it ISN'T unreliable - we hear other voices, we get to delve into the whole story as it unfolds and others talk to us as well.
A fantastic device, we listen to characters' voices directly, and live their lives as they are going on, but also hear what has happened before, and miss things that we then need catching up on, just as some of them do. Yet this doesn't make it hard to follow. I would say this style will make it of great interest to young readers.
Alex is a very unusual boy, incredibly intelligent (which some readers may have trouble relating to) and obsessed with space, but with a family life that an upper primary or lower secondary class will find fascinating to read about or discuss.
He's such a lovely boy, and his situation, as we find out what is really happening, is heart-breaking at times, though I loved how it brought so many rather wonderful characters together.
A very sweet story, with a unique narration, ultimately uplifting and a great choice for ages 9-13.
With thanks to Netgalley for the advance e-copy.
Such a different idea - the entire narration is made up of audio recordings. Recordings that the main character is putting together to be blasted into space in a rocket he's making, as a record of life on Earth for the aliens who will one day discover them.
Alex constantly talks into his iPod about his life, his mum, his space obsessions, his dog (Carl Sagan). One day soon it will be heard by alien lifeforms. Alex is obsessed with building a rocket and entering it in a competition. With his mum having one of her many 'quiet' days, he takes his homemade rocket, his iPod, his dog, and travels across the country to the competition... Alex is 11. That's not going to stop him.
This is only the start of Alex's story - as you'd expect he meets a variety of characters along the way, and the story takes a few turns as we end up looking back at Alex's life and the story he tells us, understanding more about it as he filters it through his 11-year-old brain. It's a story with an unreliable narrator but also because it's a 'recording' it ISN'T unreliable - we hear other voices, we get to delve into the whole story as it unfolds and others talk to us as well.
A fantastic device, we listen to characters' voices directly, and live their lives as they are going on, but also hear what has happened before, and miss things that we then need catching up on, just as some of them do. Yet this doesn't make it hard to follow. I would say this style will make it of great interest to young readers.
Alex is a very unusual boy, incredibly intelligent (which some readers may have trouble relating to) and obsessed with space, but with a family life that an upper primary or lower secondary class will find fascinating to read about or discuss.
He's such a lovely boy, and his situation, as we find out what is really happening, is heart-breaking at times, though I loved how it brought so many rather wonderful characters together.
A very sweet story, with a unique narration, ultimately uplifting and a great choice for ages 9-13.
With thanks to Netgalley for the advance e-copy.
After my exams this book just felt like such a breath of fresh air! It was such a different and imaginative book.
This book is about Alex; an intelligent eleven year old in love with space and rockets. He wants to launch his own rocket with recordings by him. The story is told through those recordings; which was such a new unique idea.
I had my concerns about trusting strangers with everything..specially since this book's target audience is kids! Other than that the characters' were interestingly developed even Carl Sagan the dog.
This book dealt with a in a pretty good way.
I would definitely recommend this book to fans of middle grade fiction.
This book is about Alex; an intelligent eleven year old in love with space and rockets. He wants to launch his own rocket with recordings by him. The story is told through those recordings; which was such a new unique idea.
I had my concerns about trusting strangers with everything..specially since this book's target audience is kids! Other than that the characters' were interestingly developed even Carl Sagan the dog.
This book dealt with a in a pretty good way.
Spoiler
I haven't really seen a book or movie that shows emotional abuse. That was something new too and I feel like it was dealt with in a good wayI would definitely recommend this book to fans of middle grade fiction.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes