See You in the Cosmos is very different. I feel that this is one book that would be better read via audiobook. While I really enjoyed the book, I kept thinking how much I wanted to hear what was happening and I think I probably will give this a listen as some point in the future.
The story itself is charming if not somewhat unbelievable, especially in today’s world. However, it is well written and the plot runs along the lines of books like The Pilgramage of Harold Fry - which I really enjoyed.
See You in the Cosmos is a charmingly beautiful story of family, friends, love, loss, hopes and childhood dreams, positivity and science. Definitely one to add to your list but I’d advise people to listen via audiobook rather than reading the manuscript - I feel like the audiobook would further add to an already very good little story.

Thanks to NetGalley, Jack Cheng and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I hadn't noticed how brilliant it was, at first. I knew it was going to be good but I drifted away from it until I recently saw it in my unfinished books list.
The writing style in the form of recordings was easy to follow and provided more detail than a normal prose.
I was teary-eyed towards the end. I love all the characters so much.
Alex's POV and analysis of the things people tell him is so intelligent and simplified. It put things in a different perspective for me, as well.
Terra was the best Terra ever.

I would love to read a sequel to this if the author ever decided to write one.

I requested this book for my ten year old son. We both agreed the concept of the book was interesting and he said he would like to read it. Unfortunately he only made it a quarter of the way through before he lost interest. This of course doesnt mean the book was no good, just that it didnt hold his interest which is not very surprising considering most books dont.

Alex wants nothing more than to explore the vast desert that is space. With the help of his dog and a couple of online friends, he undertakes a journey to try and launch the rocket he has spent so long building.
A story of friendship and the importance of family, this novel is perfect for fans of Mark Haddon.

This is a heartwarming read that encourages you to never stop your curiosity and imagination from running and continue to dream big. I love that the book centres on a kid, Alex, who has a passion in science, particularly astronomy. The book nicely intertwines his mission to sent a rocket into space and his search for his dad. I enjoyed the road trip he ends up in as well as the book being formatted in voice recordings (a sort of message in a bottle thing for aliens). I also love Alex's relationships especially with his dog. They pulled at my heart strings.

The book balances out all the lightheartedness with serious, emotional and moving moments.

I completely fell in love with this book! It was sweet and interesting yet it dealt with so many important issues and themes that many kids are experiencing today in a new and creative way. I loved both Alex and Carl and how the mother's illness was portrayed and didn't make her out to be a crazy person.

A journey of discovery for one boy and his dog – with added space rockets! A warm and involving middle grade story.

“Sometimes the clouds inside my head get big and grey and swirly and then I hurricane through my eyes. Except I don’t literally hurricane through my eyes—I don’t actually have a weather system in my head.” 

There's nothing that 11-year-old Alex loves more than space and his dog Carl Sagan, named after his ultimate hero. Alex is on a mission, he's going to record everything on his Golden iPod so that he can send it up into space, for other life forms, just like his heroes Golden Record in 1977. After making enough food for his Mother and booking his ticket, Alex is off on an adventure. Little does he know it will change his entire life. 

Wow, this novel. This novel has the potential to make you laugh and cry, which isn't something I thought I would say when I initially requested this from Netgalley for review. The blurb mentions that Alex would learn about his family and boy does he, but I'm getting ahead of myself in my excitement regarding the novel. This is a story of adventure, love, pain and seeing a world through a child's eyes. 

The novel is shown through Alex's eyes and in doing so there is an innocence that makes the world more incredible, but his story all the more sad, as a young boy with dreams of space and a dog as his only friend and companion. Getting to visit his online friends at the Southwest High-Altitude Rocket Festival, or SHARF,  working on a rocket he hopes will reach and other life forms that are out there. Along the way, with some luck and kindness, Alex meets friends that will make all the difference to him and Carl Sagan (the dog). 

The novel is set out in a diary form of Alex's recordings, meaning that it is in a childlike spoken form, which worked really well to get into Alex's head and really see and understand his perspective. The happiness is infectious and it's hard not to smile along while reading and get excited. This novel, although sad, made me feel some hope in the world, for the people that would help a little boy try to achieve some of his dreams. 

I gave this novel four stars. I really enjoyed reading a novel that was set for a younger audience and feeling the love that Alex had for his dog, his family, space. Despite the fact, there were times that I wanted to cry, this was incredibly uplifting it made me think a lot about family and childhood dreams. I'd definitely recommend this novel. 

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this opportunity.

Another really good read that is really about growing up. I love, love a good growing up story! They are not so easy to find really and I appreciate a good, unique one when I find it and this hit all the right buttons for me. I really enjoyed the journey I got to take along with this book and will look for more to read by this author.

11-year-old Alex loves space and is determined to send recordings into orbit, just like his hero (and the namesake of his dog), Carl Sagan. To that end, Alex is making recordings of his everyday life as he travels to New Mexico for a rocket launch then onto Las Vegas and Los Angeles meeting a variety of people and learning about himself and his family. This is a touching, heart-tugging, sweet story and a true standout in the middle-grade landscape.

Cute story would recommend for children enjoyed the story

Even though there were some things that seemed "impossible", I think this book was wonderful. It's actually a bit more realistic that some people are willing to admit.

Highly recommend it!

11yo Alex Petroski lives in Colorado with his mother and dog called Carl Sagan (named after his hero). He’s an unacknowledged young carer, doing all the household chores and managing his life. 24yo older brother Ronnie lives in Los Angeles and sends money for their living expenses. He has been told his dad died when he was 3.

Alex has been working on a rocket which he hopes when launched at a festival will go off into space and so records everyday things on his iPod he thinks extra-terrestrials might want to know about humanity as well as questions he has about their lives too.

The format of the story is those recordings which works really well! It’s a unique way of getting to know Alex and his life as well as the people he meets at the festival and the quest he goes on with Zed and Steve.

Reflecting the resilience and adaptability children are capable of, Alex is a fabulous hero himself. I’m often saying at work how easy it is to forget how a child perceives the world and Alex is the perfect reminder! See you in the Cosmos, Carl Sagan can be comedic at times (Terra telling him it’s her time of the month is a perfect example of how an 11yo understands what this means) and his need of understanding and recording what love is for those in space is a question that sees him grow.

I found See you in the Cosmos a quick read. It has a great pace and the plot/sub-plots are entertaining and at times, tense. I had an emotional connection with Alex from the beginning (and later on with his mum) and the characters add such depth – they feel as if they could walk right off the page.

I have no hesitation in recommending, no matter your age!

Provided by NetGalley for an honest review.

I really liked this book. The fact that it's written from an 11 year olds perspective made for an interesting read and I loved the whole family feel of it. It's adventurous and intriguing and very perceptive. The reason for the 4 star is cos of what happens to the dog. The poor little thing. But hey, he went on an adventure of his own.

This was an interesting little book. The style was really easy to read and I enjoyed what I read but it's a middle grade book and I think some of the themes in this weren't exactly suitable for children.

All Alex wants to do is send his iPod into space so that aliens can learn about life on Earth. He goes to a space festival over a weekend with his dog but suddenly things start to change which stops him from returning home and suddenly he's on an adventure that he never expected to be going on.

I found the adults to be a bit out of it? Like I don't understand how Zen just went along with the plan to find the dad in Las Vegas, I don't feel that's very responsible. I completely get that the mother has a mental problem which is why she didn't care that her son went away on his own for a weekend but it really bothered me that the older brother knew that things weren't right at home but continued to work in a different state and didn't check in very much.

For sure this book is about people's mental health, their relationships and adults not being very "adult" and I completely understood that point but it just angered me a lot of the time.

I really loved Terra. Even though she barely knew Alex she really cared, more than most of the people in his life already did.

This book was easy to read and if you want a middle grade book with some diverse characters by an author of colour then maybe add this to your TBRs, but I will warn you there's some triggers to do with mental illnesses and parents not caring etc but if you'd like to ask me more about it I'm always here to answer questions.

Wasn't sure if this was going to my cup of tea TBH, but once I got into it, it was a pleasant read. Alex is an endearing character, and his voice comes across strongly in the writing. It can be tricky sometimes to capture an authentic voice like that in a child, and for it to still be a compelling read for an adult, but Jack Cheng does a good job there.

I would compare this book to The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, the Edward series by Craig Lancaster and The Rosie Project. The latter two being pitched more specifically at an adult readership.

Alex is a lovely character aged 11 (but 13 in responsibility years). He lives with his Mum (who has quiet days and goes for long walks) and his dog Carl Sagan, named after ‘his all-time hero’. His brother, Ronnie, lives in LA where he works as an agent for sports stars. His Dad died when he was 3.

Alex has a passion for rockets, space and the possibility of extra-terrestrial life. He has started to record his thoughts and feeling about: life; people; emotions; and the puzzles of the world in general on his Golden iPod. He intends to fire the iPod into space within the rocket he has designed in the hope that ETs will find it.
Intent on firing his rocket he heads off on a road trip to a convention of likeminded space enthusiasts. His adventures along the way are funny and sad. Alex takes life very literally and his observations on the way adults behave, and what they are, highly entertaining.

What does ‘a clean bill of health’ really mean? Do you get a dollar bill?

‘What’s a social worker, is it someone whose job it is to go on Twitter?’

He makes a change to more than one of the other character’s life. In fact, he has an impact on all of them. When he is crying he is ‘hurricaning’ and when Carl Sagan (the dog) is upset he ‘cries’.

This is a book targeted towards Young Adults but I’d recommend it to anyone.

ARC received from NetGalley and publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you.

I enjoyed this book and think that the students will enjoy it too. It did take me a while to get into the storyline which at times was a bit unreal. Overall though the book was easy to read and explored real life issues affecting the main character.

Alex Petroski is a space-obsessed eleven year old who narrates his story via a series of recordings on his iPod. He plans to launch this into space on a rocket so that aliens can one day learn what life is like on Earth. His faithful companion is his dog Carl Sagan (named after the famous astronomer) and they are about to embark on the adventure of their lives, covering Colorado, Las Vegas, New Mexico, and Los Angeles. See you in the Cosmos follows Alex on twisting and turning journey that involves launching Rockets, eating Burgers at Johnny Rockets, meeting new friends, and trying to find his Dad (who he hasn't seen since he was really small). Cheng does a really nice job of writing the book from Alex's perspective. The story is full of charming moments where Alex's unique viewpoint on any given situation can really make you smile. This writing style also made particular scenes really quite moving when events unfold that Alex doesn't fully understand but does his best to explain to the ipod. Some may not like the log entry format of the book but I'd encourage anyone who is put off at first to give it a few chapters; after a while I no longer noticed it at all. I enjoyed this book just as much as 'A Boy Made of Blocks' so it gets a matching big thumbs up and 4 stars from me.