This book started out very promising. I was captivated for the first half. Alex is wise beyond his years and has some great adventures. But then... it took a little twist. I didn't care for the 2nd half. At first, I thought my middle grade child could read it. But then the material was too much and not really what I would want her to read. So it ended up only being so-so for me.

Alex chronicles life on his Golden iPod: his love of outer space, his beloved dog Carl Sagan, and his solo journey to a rocket launch. It's when Carl Sagan goes missing and Alex must travel back to his mentally ill mom that we are reminded, with gentleness and insistence, of the importance of kindness and empathy. Reader, prepare to have your heart grow. Ages 11+.

I adored Alex Petroski from the first page of Jack Cheng’s See You in the Cosmos, Carl Sagan. He is charming, smart, funny, sweet, sincere, and as unique a main character as you will find anywhere. 
As you can discover from blurbs about the novel’s content, Alex’s hero is Carl Sagan (he’s even named his beloved dog after the astronomer) and he hopes to follow in Sagan’s footsteps by launching a homemade rocket into space that will hold the golden Ipod Alex has been using to record musings about life that he hopes will educate other lifeforms about the people of Earth. To launch his rocket Alex travels to a rocket festival miles from his home.
Alex’s adventures take the reader in unexpected directions, and the friends and family he gathers along the way are some of the more colorful characters that I have met in a middle grade novel. 
Readers won’t get too far into the story before they realize that something is amiss at home, and that the optimistic Alex has heavier burdens than his positive attitude suggests. This gives the story its depth and makes me love Alex all the more.
This poignant, original novel will quickly become a favorite of any middle grade student fortunate enough to pluck it from the shelves.

I received an ARC of this novel from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I found this book very interesting.  I enjoyed the unique way in which it was written, as from a child's daily log intended for alien beings benefit.  Quite clever.

A sweet story about family and the life-changing power of friendship. Told alternately from the perspective of 11 year old Alex and his "Golden iPod podcast recordings" Jack Cheng perfectly captures the voice and thinking of Alex.

Enjoyed this one very much.  Love the tie in with Carl Sagan.  A bit deeper than one would sometimes expect from a middle grade book.  My 10 year old daughter thought is was ok but then I don't think it is the type of book that appeals to her.  I loved it.

See You in the Cosmos is the kind of story I can recommend to young readers without fear of embarrassment - the protagonist feels genuine and the plot does too. While the narrative device can seem a bit gimmicky at first (the narrative is composed of recordings made by a precocious 11 year-old) once immersed in his world, you cannot help but to root for him. This book is one that will be deeply felt and is sure to be remembered by its readers of all ages.

Contemporary
11-14
See You in the Cosmos, by Jack ChengI cheerfully admit to being a low-level space geek, and I can pinpoint my interest precisely to September 1977, when Voyager II and Voyage I (yup, in that order) were launched into space in search of interstellar pals. Each spacecraft carried a Golden Record intended to introduce any intelligent life to life on Earth. Eleven-year-old Alex Petroski has decided to launch Voyager III, complete with a Golden iPod filled with his own recordings for aliens to discover. Overtly a transcript of his recordings, this creative heart-filled novel tells the story of Alex’s remarkable journey over several days, both literally and figuratively. Literally, he and his beloved pup Carl Sagan travel from his home in Colorado to the Southwest High Altitude Rocket Festival in Albuquerque where Alex will launch his homemade rocket into space. He’s just 11, though at least 13 in responsibility years, so he gets some needed help along the way. While at SHARF, he makes friends with a bald hobbit-y guy named Zen and his entrepreneurial roommate Steve, recording those interactions faithfully. When Alex learns there’s a man in Vegas with the same name and birthdate as his own long-dead father, his new friends agree to take him there, then on to Los Angeles where his older brother Ronnie lives. Alex doesn’t see Ronnie often, but his brother sends money to support Alex and his mum. Figuratively, Alex’s travels lead him to discover that like the universe, one’s circle of family and friends is always expanding. This novel deals with some serious issues, like child services and schizophrenia, in a way that is accessible for young readers. The writing is original and strong, with authentic characters and voices. But it’s Alex who will steal your heart. When Terra explains that a fling is “when two people love each other for a really short time and then they go their separate ways,” Alex informs her “Oh, I had a fling too.” Prodded by Terra to unpack his statement, Alex then describes his brief Grade 4 dalliance with a girl named Emily who moved away. He quickly notes it was for the best since “we were both too young and she’s not really my type anyway.” Oh, sweet boy. There are a few f-bombs, but overall this is a humourous, tender coming of age novel that won`t soon leave your thoughts. Plus there is a plethora of astronomy jokes. What’s not to love? My thanks to publisher Dial Books for the advance reading copy provided through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
More discussion and reviews of this book: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33282947

This book was moving, heartbreaking, and inspirational all at the same time. I have a student just like Alex in my school this year, so I really identified with this character. Alex's character is beautifully written and incredibly believable. I know that my middle school students will love this book as much as I did--especially my reluctant male readers. I think this book would appeal to YA and adult readers alike though--it is a universal read with a ton of impact.

Alex is a great kid who can weather any storm, even if it's with some tears.  His voice came through loud and clear and I learned to love him and his unique ways very quickly.  This story has heart - not just Alex's, but in all the folks he meets and, of course, in Carl Sagan!

This story is about a young boy who is a fan of Carl Sagan - so much so that he has named his dog after his hero.  He has become involved in an online community of rocket enthusiasts and heads out to the middle of New Mexico to launch his first ever rocket with this community of people.  He goes by himself, as his mother is incapable of taking care of him because of some major mental illness.  His trip goes remarkably smoothly for an unaccompanied minor, and he is helped along the way by his rocket-loving friends and eventually, his family.  

Overall, I liked the story.  The one thing that bothered me is that the story is told told via transcripts of a voice recording Alex is planning on sending to outer space to introduce the human race to aliens.  Although Alex definitely is older than his years, I can't imagine that your average 11-year old kid would be as  bombastic as Alex seems to be, although his stream-of-consciousness, run on sentences style would be spot on for this age.

Review copy provided by NetGalley

This is the story of a multitude of characters with hidden issues to confront. It's told in first person, from the point of view of an eleven year old boy who is making audio recordings into an iPod that he intends to jettison into space in the hope that it will be discovered by aliens. Looking back through the story in my head, two things come up again and again. 

Number one, this is a story where depth is the glaringly blatant objective and because of that, readers will be simultaneously drawn into the backstory of every character. It can prove challenging for readers, as it makes it difficult to focus on one particular thread of the story with so many others to draw your attention.

Number two, this book was not meant to be experienced on paper. It's the transcript on a series of audio recordings, and is presented as such. For those who were delighted with the script for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and other such stories presented in a play script format, this will be appealing. For those that do not enjoy the medium on paper, this will serve as a distraction from the actual narrative.

Still, this is one of those stories that doesn't shy away from topics that will probably raise some red flags, and though it presents those things well, it should be noted that librarians and parents should read the text before presenting it to younger readers. Issues such as a parent's infidelity, mental illness of a parent, divorce, psychological abuse, neglect, and even understanding menstruation all pop up in the text, leading me to think that this might be best suited for young adult audiences. Still, the book does come at the issues that it presents in a creative and insightful way, and for that I commend it. At times, particularly when there is an audio transcript that doesn't easily translate onto paper, I felt a little lost, but after I powered through the difficult passages, the product as a whole was powerful and impressive.

This might not be the book for elementary audiences, but when it reaches its intended audience, I think it will be well-received.

A fully engaging adventure - I could not put it down.

The story of Alex and his golden iPod will be one I recommend for years to come. His voice and humanity shines through in each recording and encounter he has along the way on his heartfelt journey. Any story that succeeds in making me laugh out loud and cry deserves all the stars in the universe. Ours is a better one because this book exists.

Started the book but DNF it, the voice of it all just isn't for me and I couldn't see reading a book from that whole point of view...

I just finished reading this, and felt compelled to try to write a review immediately. This was the most incredibly touching story I have probably ever read. Told almost entirely in the form of a transcript of recordings made by Alex (an 11 year old - 13 in responsibility years - boy who is the center of this exceptional tale). There is nothing sci-fi in here, no odd twists and turns, and nothing bizarre. Just an incredible story about this boy's journey to a rocket club gathering that turn's into an epic journey in which he learns about himself, his family, and the nature of life.

At first I was put off by things Alex did that just seemed too immature for an 11 year old. I thought that perhaps the author had just messed up in understanding what kids that age do and do not know (I have a 9 year old niece who knows way more than this kid). But as I kept reading, it became apparent that this was not a mistake on the part of the author, but instead simply a part of who Alex is---an eleven year old who was raised in the type of situation where he simply never became aware of many of the things that come up during his travels.

I rushed through this book in a little under 2 hours because I had to know what happened next (the conversational style also makes it a relatively easy read), but I know it is one that I will read again later more patiently.

There is just too much going on in this book for it to be great. Wanting to build rockets was great and interesting, but it just didn't fit with the story of a boy whom no one cares about. I felt like Alex had some kind of disability, which seemed to come and go. He's obviously smart, but his constant crying and tantrums is just not normal behavior for an 11-year-old. I don't really know how kids would react to this book.

Alex loves astronomy, rockets, and the idea of intelligent life in other galaxies.  He makes plans to travel to a rocket launch event with his dog, Carl Sagan.  Alex's older brother left their Colorado home years before and now is making a life for himself in Los Angeles, leaving Alex to fend for himself.  Alex's father died when Alex was 3.  His mother suffers from mental illness and often leaves Alex for days at a time.  Alex takes this all in stride and assumes responsibility for his mother and his dog.  But what keeps him going is his goal to launch his rocket with his iPod of recordings into space so aliens can listen to his recording of life on Earth.  The trip to the rocket launch turns into a series of misadventures, new friends, and life-changing discoveries.

The story is told as though listening to the recordings on Alex's iPod.  Some of the characters seemed a bit too quirky to be real.  It is easy to feel compassion for Alex and also brother Ronnie, but something is missing in this road trip novel of discovery.

eGalley review                                                          Publication date 2.28.2017