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3.98 AVERAGE
3.98 AVERAGE
For a YA read, this book had surprising depth and insight. The main character was an honest portrayal of a kid coming to grips with family struggles, mental health challenges, and other grown-up concepts. It would be a great read for middle graders, and the astronomy and rocket details seem cool enough to spark further interest from kids too.
The rest of this review gets a little heavy, but I just want to state in advance that this is a fun book. The majority of the first half focuses on Alex’s rocket competition and develops a great cast of misfits who bond over something they love. The second half does get into adult themes though, so it isn’t all just a fun read. It does have a happy ending though, and there is resolution to most of the mature content discussed.
*spoilers in this paragraph* 3.5 stars. I felt like losing Carl Sagan was unnecessarily cruel, and not something that was needed for the plot to work. Also felt like it painted maybe too rosy of a picture when it comes to meeting strangers from the internet. And I’m a little peeved that Steve was just accepted back into the group after his aggressive behaviors rather than suffering true consequences. Would definitely recommend that adults discuss this one with kids as they read.
It should contain content warnings for death of a parent, parent with mental health challenges, depression, child neglect/endangerment, domestic abuse, and interactions with CPS. It does tackle many of those concepts in a very straight forward way (not merely insinuating), but it also shows characters that work through the issues presented to them, who come together as a chosen family and who grow and change in the process. A great book for kids, but certainly one that deserves for parents to check in with their kids along the way.
The rest of this review gets a little heavy, but I just want to state in advance that this is a fun book. The majority of the first half focuses on Alex’s rocket competition and develops a great cast of misfits who bond over something they love. The second half does get into adult themes though, so it isn’t all just a fun read. It does have a happy ending though, and there is resolution to most of the mature content discussed.
*spoilers in this paragraph* 3.5 stars. I felt like losing Carl Sagan was unnecessarily cruel, and not something that was needed for the plot to work. Also felt like it painted maybe too rosy of a picture when it comes to meeting strangers from the internet. And I’m a little peeved that Steve was just accepted back into the group after his aggressive behaviors rather than suffering true consequences. Would definitely recommend that adults discuss this one with kids as they read.
It should contain content warnings for death of a parent, parent with mental health challenges, depression, child neglect/endangerment, domestic abuse, and interactions with CPS. It does tackle many of those concepts in a very straight forward way (not merely insinuating), but it also shows characters that work through the issues presented to them, who come together as a chosen family and who grow and change in the process. A great book for kids, but certainly one that deserves for parents to check in with their kids along the way.
adventurous
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Es un libro inocente y encantador, pero no logró agarrarme a pesar de que es una lectura rápida, de hecho, me costó mucho terminarlo.
Actual Rating: 4/5
This was a pretty good book. There was something about this writing style that I enjoyed a lot. It was wasn’t overly complicated or had many vivid descriptions which I liked about that. The book was easy to understand and very straightforward. The plot was very cool, but I didn’t really like some of the characters, like Ronnie and Steve. And I didn’t like the ending. It felt to abrupt and fast. But overall this was a really good book. Would recommend!
This was a pretty good book. There was something about this writing style that I enjoyed a lot. It was wasn’t overly complicated or had many vivid descriptions which I liked about that. The book was easy to understand and very straightforward. The plot was very cool, but I didn’t really like some of the characters, like Ronnie and Steve. And I didn’t like the ending. It felt to abrupt and fast. But overall this was a really good book. Would recommend!
This is the story of a boy named Alex who is 11 but "the responsibility age of 13". His hero is Carl Sagan and he is obsessed with anything space related. He goes on a journey where he meets people that help him along the way. Because of the audio diary format, we are mostly in his head and I feel it was mostly telling and it limited our knowledge of what might really have been going on at times or what others were thinking.
This book was so good. I read it all in one sitting.
Alex is precious. The characters were all so real and honest and flawed. I loved the perspective and the flow of the book. I had tears in my eyes at so many moments. This book had some very heavy themes for a middle grade book and I think anyone can enjoy this. Jack Cheng also riddled the book with some very profound thoughts through the voice of an 11 year old boy. I didn't want it to end. I want a fluff companion as Alex grown up and leaving his golden iPod in his rocket. I want to know what Terra finds for herself. Just, fuck.
Alex is precious. The characters were all so real and honest and flawed. I loved the perspective and the flow of the book. I had tears in my eyes at so many moments. This book had some very heavy themes for a middle grade book and I think anyone can enjoy this. Jack Cheng also riddled the book with some very profound thoughts through the voice of an 11 year old boy. I didn't want it to end. I want a fluff companion as Alex grown up and leaving his golden iPod in his rocket. I want to know what Terra finds for herself. Just, fuck.
This is a seriously sweet middle grade book touching on, space, love, family and mental illness. Stayed up WAY too late to finish it!
This was a heartwarming, inspiring and sometimes sad read. I find it very difficult, as an adult, to judge how this children's book might actually be enjoyed by children, but it worked for me.
Alex is an eleven year old with an obsession with rockets (and Carl Sagan, as well as his dog Carl Sagan), and a lot of family problems. His mum has a 'quiet days' which means she can't cook or care for him, so he cares for her instead. He has an older brother who pays their bills but is otherwise not present.
Largely left to his own devices, Alex is a member of a forum about rockets and goes travelling so that he can launch his own (small) rocket at an event. From there the story escalates. He meets kind strangers who help him on his way, tackles failure and finds out his missing father may be alive in Vegas.
I wouldn't say it's entirely believable. Nearly everyone he meets, and certainly everyone he trusts, is kind and helpful. There's nothing about being wary of strangers, no one he trusts that he shouldn't. Alex is eleven, but feels a lot younger. You have to seriously suspend your disbelief if you want to go along with the story.
That said, he's a quirky, charming narrator. The chapters are told as if they are audio recordings on a 'golden iPod' he plans to send into space. You quickly get a sense of his voice and really do want to see him happy. It's about love and sacrifice, really. And rockets.
Alex is an eleven year old with an obsession with rockets (and Carl Sagan, as well as his dog Carl Sagan), and a lot of family problems. His mum has a 'quiet days' which means she can't cook or care for him, so he cares for her instead. He has an older brother who pays their bills but is otherwise not present.
Largely left to his own devices, Alex is a member of a forum about rockets and goes travelling so that he can launch his own (small) rocket at an event. From there the story escalates. He meets kind strangers who help him on his way, tackles failure and finds out his missing father may be alive in Vegas.
I wouldn't say it's entirely believable. Nearly everyone he meets, and certainly everyone he trusts, is kind and helpful. There's nothing about being wary of strangers, no one he trusts that he shouldn't. Alex is eleven, but feels a lot younger. You have to seriously suspend your disbelief if you want to go along with the story.
That said, he's a quirky, charming narrator. The chapters are told as if they are audio recordings on a 'golden iPod' he plans to send into space. You quickly get a sense of his voice and really do want to see him happy. It's about love and sacrifice, really. And rockets.
Jack Chengin Kosmoksessa tavataan on hänen ensimmäinen lastenkirjansa ja ilmeisesti myös ensimmäinen suomennettu kirja oli yllättäjä monella tapaa.
Tarina kertoo elämäniloisesta, uteliaasta ja sopivalla tapaa hiukan hassun nörttimäisestä*, intohimoisesti raketteihin ja avaruuteen suhtautuvasta 11-vuotiaasta Alexista. Näin nörttinä itsekin oli helppo samaistua, vaikka itse tuossa iässä olinkin hiljaisempi kuin sosiaalinen Alex.
Alex haluaa SHARF-tapahtumaan (Southwest High-Altitude Rocket Festival) lähettämään avaruuteen oman rakettinsa ja sen mukana kultaisen Ipodin, jolle on äänittänyt erilaisia asioita. Kirja onkin kirjoitettu äänitysten muodossa, joka aluksi tuntuu vähän hassulta mutta on sitten ihan virkistävä tyyli. Lisäksi kirja olisi varmasti helppo lukea lapselle, joskin en ole ihan varma sopiiko tämä kira sen ikäiselle jolle yleensä luetaan. Alex pakkaakin tavaransa ja ottaa mukaan koiransa Carl Saganin ja lähtee ensin junalla, ja sitten kimppakyydillä kohti SHARFia.
Kirjan alkupuolella sai jo vähän tunnetta että taustalla on jotain surullista, sitä arvasi että joki ei ol täysin kohdillaan, mutta loppupuolella hyväntuulinen tarina alkaa saada surullisia piirteitä. Alexin valtava elämänilo kuitenkin puskee läpi kaikesta ja vaikka välillä itkettäisikin niin hänen tapansa suhtautua kaikkeen vie siltä pahimman terän. Kirja käsittelee vakavia aiheita ja vaikka ne ovatkin aikalailla lapsille sopivasti kirjoitettuja niin ne tekivät kirjasta minulle suuren yllättäjän.
Plussaa muuten siitä että kirjassa unohdettiin heteronormatiivisuus alun jälkeen ja alettiin puhua naisparista ja miesparista pelkän heteroparin lisäksi. Miinusta siitä ettei kuukautisia käsitelty kirjassa kunnolla, vaikka se toisaalta tuntui ihan luontevalta ettei Alex halunnut puhua äänityksestän niistä vaan nolosteli asiaa, vaikka suorapuheisena Alex olisi toisaalta voinut myös pulauttaa asian.
Alex oli kirjan kultainen päähenkilö, joka tuntui muutamassa kohdassa, näin itsenäiseksi ja aktiiviseksi pojaksi, ehkä vähän liiankin nuorelta. Sillee onhan 11-vuotias ihan lapsi vielä, mutta ainoa asia mihin minä en ihan samaistunut oli tämä puoli hänessä.
Sitä sanotaan että lasten kirjallisuudessa päähenkilön ikä miinus 2-3 vuotta = kohdeikä, joten sen mukaan tämä olisi 8-9 vuotiaille sopiva kirja. Minun on vaikea arvioida tämmöistä, mutta voin sanoa että kirja sopii myös aikuiselle, joka haluaa lukea vähän jotain kevyempää. Common sense-sivusto, jossa julkaisijan ikäsuosituksen lisäksi käyttäjät arvioivat minkä ikäiselle kirjat, elokuva ja pelit sopivat sekä kertoo onko siinä esimerkiksi kirosanoja, väkivaltaa tai hyviä roolimalleja sanoo että tämä olisi 10-vuotiaille tai vanhemmille sopiva (sivusto sisältää juonipaljastuksia, koska se on tarkoitettu vanhempien avuksi arvioimiseen sopiiko tämä kirja heidän lapselleen). Sanoisinkin että 10-14-ikäryhmälle tämä on hyvin sopiva kirja, joskin osa 14-vuotiaista on jo "liian vanhoja" tälle (luultavasti omasta mielestän). Riippuen lapsesta suosittelisin tätä ehkä yhdeksästä ikävuodesta eteenpäin, varsinkin jos vanhempi on valmis keskustelemaan kirjan vaikeammista teemoista.
*Nörtti sanalla on huono kaiku, mutta kannustan kaikkia nörttejä ja nörttien ystäviä käyttämään sitä jotta se saisi neutraalimman tai positiivisen kaiun.
Tarina kertoo elämäniloisesta, uteliaasta ja sopivalla tapaa hiukan hassun nörttimäisestä*, intohimoisesti raketteihin ja avaruuteen suhtautuvasta 11-vuotiaasta Alexista. Näin nörttinä itsekin oli helppo samaistua, vaikka itse tuossa iässä olinkin hiljaisempi kuin sosiaalinen Alex.
Alex haluaa SHARF-tapahtumaan (Southwest High-Altitude Rocket Festival) lähettämään avaruuteen oman rakettinsa ja sen mukana kultaisen Ipodin, jolle on äänittänyt erilaisia asioita. Kirja onkin kirjoitettu äänitysten muodossa, joka aluksi tuntuu vähän hassulta mutta on sitten ihan virkistävä tyyli. Lisäksi kirja olisi varmasti helppo lukea lapselle, joskin en ole ihan varma sopiiko tämä kira sen ikäiselle jolle yleensä luetaan. Alex pakkaakin tavaransa ja ottaa mukaan koiransa Carl Saganin ja lähtee ensin junalla, ja sitten kimppakyydillä kohti SHARFia.
Kirjan alkupuolella sai jo vähän tunnetta että taustalla on jotain surullista, sitä arvasi että joki ei ol täysin kohdillaan, mutta loppupuolella hyväntuulinen tarina alkaa saada surullisia piirteitä. Alexin valtava elämänilo kuitenkin puskee läpi kaikesta ja vaikka välillä itkettäisikin niin hänen tapansa suhtautua kaikkeen vie siltä pahimman terän. Kirja käsittelee vakavia aiheita ja vaikka ne ovatkin aikalailla lapsille sopivasti kirjoitettuja niin ne tekivät kirjasta minulle suuren yllättäjän.
Plussaa muuten siitä että kirjassa unohdettiin heteronormatiivisuus alun jälkeen ja alettiin puhua naisparista ja miesparista pelkän heteroparin lisäksi. Miinusta siitä ettei kuukautisia käsitelty kirjassa kunnolla, vaikka se toisaalta tuntui ihan luontevalta ettei Alex halunnut puhua äänityksestän niistä vaan nolosteli asiaa, vaikka suorapuheisena Alex olisi toisaalta voinut myös pulauttaa asian.
Alex oli kirjan kultainen päähenkilö, joka tuntui muutamassa kohdassa, näin itsenäiseksi ja aktiiviseksi pojaksi, ehkä vähän liiankin nuorelta. Sillee onhan 11-vuotias ihan lapsi vielä, mutta ainoa asia mihin minä en ihan samaistunut oli tämä puoli hänessä.
Sitä sanotaan että lasten kirjallisuudessa päähenkilön ikä miinus 2-3 vuotta = kohdeikä, joten sen mukaan tämä olisi 8-9 vuotiaille sopiva kirja. Minun on vaikea arvioida tämmöistä, mutta voin sanoa että kirja sopii myös aikuiselle, joka haluaa lukea vähän jotain kevyempää. Common sense-sivusto, jossa julkaisijan ikäsuosituksen lisäksi käyttäjät arvioivat minkä ikäiselle kirjat, elokuva ja pelit sopivat sekä kertoo onko siinä esimerkiksi kirosanoja, väkivaltaa tai hyviä roolimalleja sanoo että tämä olisi 10-vuotiaille tai vanhemmille sopiva (sivusto sisältää juonipaljastuksia, koska se on tarkoitettu vanhempien avuksi arvioimiseen sopiiko tämä kirja heidän lapselleen). Sanoisinkin että 10-14-ikäryhmälle tämä on hyvin sopiva kirja, joskin osa 14-vuotiaista on jo "liian vanhoja" tälle (luultavasti omasta mielestän). Riippuen lapsesta suosittelisin tätä ehkä yhdeksästä ikävuodesta eteenpäin, varsinkin jos vanhempi on valmis keskustelemaan kirjan vaikeammista teemoista.
*Nörtti sanalla on huono kaiku, mutta kannustan kaikkia nörttejä ja nörttien ystäviä käyttämään sitä jotta se saisi neutraalimman tai positiivisen kaiun.
A Space obsessed Kid with his Dog Carl Sagan explores a series of events eventually leading to a kind of ending that makes the readers feel happy and appreciable for the life they had through this 320 page work.
Normally I prefer Nonfiction over Fiction with an exception when it is science based or inspired. And this book is my first YA kind, at first the cover impressed me and after reading the description, i felt confident enough to try it and I'm glad i did it. It's very different from the conventional varieties of it. I could feel some pretty inspirations as well as pretty much enthusiasm from Carl Sagan, Antoine de saint Exupery, Elon Musk and many oblivious people.
The story went real nice that i felt confident enough about the well-being of the characters right from the beginning even though some odds are thrown by the author for the suspense. The background of the characters and events are so rich in experience and provided so much easiness in reading.
However I felt the experience was richer in the first half of the book. The kid, Alex Petrovski "recording the events in his ipod" style narration is very very nice to read and considerably affected by the kid's perspective of Innocent wisdom. The philosophical - inferential part deserves much appreciation referring the contexts of science as a sheer source of spirituality. Not much science in the plot, only the philosophical understandings from sentient perspective. So people with diverse interests can find it comfortable to read especially people who don't give a thing about science.
Few of my favorite lines,
"Do you think there are intelligent beings out there in the cosmos who don’t have sadness?"
"I looked out the window again and we were even higher, and I couldn’t tell where the roads and buildings were anymore and it was just like my hero said, that from a certain height you can’t even tell there’s intelligent life on our own planet.
So if you guys come to Earth, make sure you look closely enough."
Overall it's the kind of book which you can gift to your middle grade kids and shall also be read by yourselves for pretty much soothing and relaxing break time read presuming you've already come through a lot of science stuffs; If not, it could be revelational for you as well. The book's available from February 27, 2017.
The Author Jack Cheng is most likely to become my second favorite Cheng after Ronnie Cheing and of course i left the 'i' but I feel more or less the same. He has experiences working in advertisement marketing firms and nothing much about books but I do expect a lot from the author in the upcoming adventures.
And a HUGE thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Random House Children's Publications for the opportunity.
Normally I prefer Nonfiction over Fiction with an exception when it is science based or inspired. And this book is my first YA kind, at first the cover impressed me and after reading the description, i felt confident enough to try it and I'm glad i did it. It's very different from the conventional varieties of it. I could feel some pretty inspirations as well as pretty much enthusiasm from Carl Sagan, Antoine de saint Exupery, Elon Musk and many oblivious people.
The story went real nice that i felt confident enough about the well-being of the characters right from the beginning even though some odds are thrown by the author for the suspense. The background of the characters and events are so rich in experience and provided so much easiness in reading.
However I felt the experience was richer in the first half of the book. The kid, Alex Petrovski "recording the events in his ipod" style narration is very very nice to read and considerably affected by the kid's perspective of Innocent wisdom. The philosophical - inferential part deserves much appreciation referring the contexts of science as a sheer source of spirituality. Not much science in the plot, only the philosophical understandings from sentient perspective. So people with diverse interests can find it comfortable to read especially people who don't give a thing about science.
Few of my favorite lines,
"Do you think there are intelligent beings out there in the cosmos who don’t have sadness?"
"I looked out the window again and we were even higher, and I couldn’t tell where the roads and buildings were anymore and it was just like my hero said, that from a certain height you can’t even tell there’s intelligent life on our own planet.
So if you guys come to Earth, make sure you look closely enough."
Overall it's the kind of book which you can gift to your middle grade kids and shall also be read by yourselves for pretty much soothing and relaxing break time read presuming you've already come through a lot of science stuffs; If not, it could be revelational for you as well. The book's available from February 27, 2017.
The Author Jack Cheng is most likely to become my second favorite Cheng after Ronnie Cheing and of course i left the 'i' but I feel more or less the same. He has experiences working in advertisement marketing firms and nothing much about books but I do expect a lot from the author in the upcoming adventures.
And a HUGE thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Random House Children's Publications for the opportunity.