Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.98 AVERAGE
3.98 AVERAGE
I felt so sorry for Alex.....
This pro boy was so neglected for the people he love's and his brother. He goes on this trip to the New Mexico desert. An 11 year old going all by himself. Wow like his mom on just lays there and watches TV or in her bed and goes on walks.
I just felt so bad for him. And then he falls on the fence and that's when his brother wants to be there for him. And he had surgery.... and Tera is the only one that cares for this little boy. We find out that Tera is his sister.....
4 out of 5 stars.
This pro boy was so neglected for the people he love's and his brother. He goes on this trip to the New Mexico desert. An 11 year old going all by himself. Wow like his mom on just lays there and watches TV or in her bed and goes on walks.
I just felt so bad for him. And then he falls on the fence and that's when his brother wants to be there for him. And he had surgery.... and Tera is the only one that cares for this little boy. We find out that Tera is his sister.....
4 out of 5 stars.
A book for younger readers that might well entertain, but will leave adult readers choked.
Eleven year old Alex is obsessed with space. He is determined to build a rocket and get it to fly, and the love of his life is Carl Sagan (his dog). When we first meet Alex he is making plans to travel across states to visit a Space show.
From the start I loved Alex's quirkiness, and his original take on life. However, it was clear that something was very wrong with Alex's life-no eleven year old would be left to travel alone, and his older brother seems more than a little remote.
We watch Alex meet up with all sorts of unusual characters, who have hearts of gold and look out for him. It's all very heartwarming, and rather improbable, but as an escapist read it is fascinating.
As is, perhaps, to be expected, Alex has to learn some awful truths about his family. He is typically positive about it all, and his optimism seems misplaced though admirable. Who knows where it will end up, but you get the feeling Alex will be okay.
Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this.
Eleven year old Alex is obsessed with space. He is determined to build a rocket and get it to fly, and the love of his life is Carl Sagan (his dog). When we first meet Alex he is making plans to travel across states to visit a Space show.
From the start I loved Alex's quirkiness, and his original take on life. However, it was clear that something was very wrong with Alex's life-no eleven year old would be left to travel alone, and his older brother seems more than a little remote.
We watch Alex meet up with all sorts of unusual characters, who have hearts of gold and look out for him. It's all very heartwarming, and rather improbable, but as an escapist read it is fascinating.
As is, perhaps, to be expected, Alex has to learn some awful truths about his family. He is typically positive about it all, and his optimism seems misplaced though admirable. Who knows where it will end up, but you get the feeling Alex will be okay.
Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this.
3.5 stars, actually. Here's why I'm struggling whether or not to change it to four: https://wordpress.com/post/mmelmoth.wordpress.com/1823
And I absolutely recommend it to anyone older than fourteen as it contains serious issues, but all in all it is a heartwarming read.
And I absolutely recommend it to anyone older than fourteen as it contains serious issues, but all in all it is a heartwarming read.
Took about 2 weeks to finish this, which was quite interesting. I can normally churn out a middle-grade book in 2 days or less, 3 days max. I think it was because of the recording structure of the book.
Things I Liked:
1. RE. PRE. SEN. TA. TION.
Of a lot of things, but especially of dysfunctional families and abuse and mental illness, as these topics aren't often discussed in MG Books. That said, I'm not too sure whether this book is actually intended for an MG audience.
2. The Characters.
So many great characters in this book. I felt that our narrator, Alex, was one of the most endearing narrators I've ever read in MG. His perspective, his attitude, his almost blithe optimism, his empathy -- everything. I enjoyed his character thoroughly. Side characters felt real, too, and I loved that there was a balance between more laid back characters and more angsty ones.
Things I was meh about:
1. The Plot
This is actually quite hard to pin-point. I think the plot served the Alex's arc sufficiently and that it -- well, it wasn't bad. But it wasn't amazing either. I'm not sure what it was. Maybe I went into the book with a set-up that just left the rest of the book after the first 50 pages.
2. The Structure
This is also a hit or a miss kind of point. See You In The Cosmos is written in the form of a series of audio recordings made by an adventurous 11 year-old boy. You can already see what the style of the book is like -- but that wasn't what irked (?) me. I think it was the fact that the book felt almost discardable, like I could finish a chapter of a book (an audio recording) and not go back to it -- and it'll still be fine. I think this is why it took me a long time to finish this one too.
***
Overall, not a bad book. Liked the overall theme sufficiently and enjoyed the characters. Would recommend for fans of [b:The Rosie Project|16181775|The Rosie Project (Don Tillman, #1)|Graeme Simsion|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1371651741s/16181775.jpg|22084678][b:The Rosie Project|16181775|The Rosie Project (Don Tillman, #1)|Graeme Simsion|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1371651741s/16181775.jpg|22084678] and [b:Rain Reign|20575434|Rain Reign|Ann M. Martin|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1396393170s/20575434.jpg|39843440].
Things I Liked:
1. RE. PRE. SEN. TA. TION.
Of a lot of things, but especially of dysfunctional families and abuse and mental illness, as these topics aren't often discussed in MG Books. That said, I'm not too sure whether this book is actually intended for an MG audience.
2. The Characters.
So many great characters in this book. I felt that our narrator, Alex, was one of the most endearing narrators I've ever read in MG. His perspective, his attitude, his almost blithe optimism, his empathy -- everything. I enjoyed his character thoroughly. Side characters felt real, too, and I loved that there was a balance between more laid back characters and more angsty ones.
Things I was meh about:
1. The Plot
This is actually quite hard to pin-point. I think the plot served the Alex's arc sufficiently and that it -- well, it wasn't bad. But it wasn't amazing either. I'm not sure what it was. Maybe I went into the book with a set-up that just left the rest of the book after the first 50 pages.
2. The Structure
This is also a hit or a miss kind of point. See You In The Cosmos is written in the form of a series of audio recordings made by an adventurous 11 year-old boy. You can already see what the style of the book is like -- but that wasn't what irked (?) me. I think it was the fact that the book felt almost discardable, like I could finish a chapter of a book (an audio recording) and not go back to it -- and it'll still be fine. I think this is why it took me a long time to finish this one too.
***
Overall, not a bad book. Liked the overall theme sufficiently and enjoyed the characters. Would recommend for fans of [b:The Rosie Project|16181775|The Rosie Project (Don Tillman, #1)|Graeme Simsion|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1371651741s/16181775.jpg|22084678][b:The Rosie Project|16181775|The Rosie Project (Don Tillman, #1)|Graeme Simsion|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1371651741s/16181775.jpg|22084678] and [b:Rain Reign|20575434|Rain Reign|Ann M. Martin|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1396393170s/20575434.jpg|39843440].
This one didn't have me at hello, but it definitely grew on me. Alex is obsessed with rockets. He's designed a rocket that he thinks will make it into space and, modeling himself on his hero Carl Sagan, Alex starts recording messages for extraterrestrials on a golden iPod to send in his rocket. He makes his way to a rocket convention in New Mexico, but that's only the beginning of his crazy journey.
This book has a lot to say about family - both the family you're born with and the family you get to choose. Alex has an interesting narrative voice; it's never specified but I believe he may be on the autism spectrum. He's endearing, for sure, both to the reader and to the characters in the book who end up throwing their lot in with him. The plot stretched my sense of disbelief at points, but overall it's a memorable journey.
I would hand this to fans of the narrative voices in Rain Reign or Counting by 7s or of the road trip story arc like Walk Two Moons, etc.
This book has a lot to say about family - both the family you're born with and the family you get to choose. Alex has an interesting narrative voice; it's never specified but I believe he may be on the autism spectrum. He's endearing, for sure, both to the reader and to the characters in the book who end up throwing their lot in with him. The plot stretched my sense of disbelief at points, but overall it's a memorable journey.
I would hand this to fans of the narrative voices in Rain Reign or Counting by 7s or of the road trip story arc like Walk Two Moons, etc.
I have no idea where I heard of this book or why I picked it up, but I'm so glad I did. A gem of a book that made my heart ache in a good way. Cheng captures the voice and spirit of a little boy so well and the structure is clever but not in a 'try hard' kind of way. I've been thinking about Alex and the people that love him for weeks which is how I know I've found a book I love.
Alex sangat tergila-gila dengan roket, dan dia sudah punya rencana untuk menerbangkan roket miliknya. Sebelumnya dia merekam tentang dirinya dan hidupnya dalam sebuah rekaman iPod yang akan dimasukkannya ke dalam roket untuk disampaikan ke siapapun/apapun yang hidup di luar angkasa. Dari rekamannya ini akhirnya pembaca bisa mengikuti perjalanan hidup Alex.
Menarik sekali ide membuat novel yang berkisah melalui rekaman. Alex yang berumur 11 tahun harus mengalami kekecewaan, perjalanan panjang, dan kehilangan. Dikisahkan dari sudut pandang seorang anak yang polos, pembaca diajak menyelami pemikiran dan cara Alex memandang hidupnya.
Menarik sekali ide membuat novel yang berkisah melalui rekaman. Alex yang berumur 11 tahun harus mengalami kekecewaan, perjalanan panjang, dan kehilangan. Dikisahkan dari sudut pandang seorang anak yang polos, pembaca diajak menyelami pemikiran dan cara Alex memandang hidupnya.
Very cute and wholesome, had me smiling most of the times.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Award winning juvenile fiction which is especially good in audio format, about an pre-teen boy with strong interest in rocket science who sets on an out-of-town trip and his adventures along the way as he records them on his golden Ipod.