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3.98 AVERAGE
3.98 AVERAGE
Initial impressions: I really really enjoyed this book. Normally I don't like middle grade books, but this is easily something that could be read by YA or even adult readers. It's smart, sad, funny, and the audiobook with full cast is amazing!
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
to be very honest I didn’t expect much on this since IT IS meant for middle-grade readers. but oh my god I was blown away.
our main lead, Alex Petroski was such a lovable character although he sometimes went a little too overboard in socializing with ANYONE. people Alex met along his adventure were unexpectedly okay with a twelve-year-old running around without adult supervision and are willing to help him... I love the whole story but that was just too mind-boggling.
all in all, this book tackles a mental health issue and how our main characters dealt with it. the way the author delivers the matter was comprehensive enough for young readers and I highly appreciate that.
all I can say is, this is a great book and I finally got out of my reading slump because of its cute and heartwarming story.
our main lead, Alex Petroski was such a lovable character although he sometimes went a little too overboard in socializing with ANYONE. people Alex met along his adventure were unexpectedly okay with a twelve-year-old running around without adult supervision and are willing to help him... I love the whole story but that was just too mind-boggling.
all in all, this book tackles a mental health issue and how our main characters dealt with it. the way the author delivers the matter was comprehensive enough for young readers and I highly appreciate that.
all I can say is, this is a great book and I finally got out of my reading slump because of its cute and heartwarming story.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
hopeful
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:
Yes
Alex is excited for his first trip to the Southwest High-Altitude Rocket Festival, aka SHARF. It will be fun to finally meet his friends on Rocketforum and of course to launch his rocket. So he's devastated when he's told at the train station that as an eleven-year-old he's not allowed to ride the train without an adult. There's not a lot of adults in Alex's life: his dad died when he was three, his mom seems to be barely functioning--with quite a few (in Alex's words) "quiet days"--and his older brother is several states away in Los Angeles trying to make it as a sports agent. Fortunately, a sympathetic young adult pretends to be his older brother so that he can get on the train, launching Alex--and his dog, Carl Sagan--on an unforgettable hero's journey. Alex narrates his adventures in a series of iPod recordings that he intends to put in his rocket to send to outer space, just like his hero Carl Sagan did with his Golden Record aboard Voyagers 1 & 2. Cheng's filtering of the story through this very distinctive eleven-year-old voice brilliantly sets the tone for the narrative, though it does require a fair amount of reader sophistication. Alex is a thoughtful, resourceful, and inquisitive child, whose meandering narratives sometimes obscure the actual events occurring around him--often with hilarious results. Important themes like hope, truth, family and sacrifice abound in this heartwarming middle grade novel, which will appeal to fans of Lisa Graff, Kate DiCamillo, and Holly Goldberg Sloan.
This is an excellent middle-grade book! I predict that it will win some awards.
A book about Carl Sagan and a boy who learns that family is more than the people who share your genetic code, I love it.
adventurous
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No