I'm sorry to everyone who loved this, but the writing style was atrocious. It was also depressing, and much heavier than I expected from a middle grade novel (alcohol, sexual innuendos, domestic violence, mental illness, child abandonment). This was almost a DNF, but the switch to Terra's perspective after Alex's accident was enough of a refresh to keep me interested. ( )

Adorable, precocious narrator? Check.
Lovable canine companion? Check.
Wacky road trip that takes unexpected turns? Check.
A family secret discovered? Check.
A cast of quirky supporting characters? Check.

I have seen every major element of this middle grade novel's plot before. What sets it apart is the style - the entire book is like a transcript of audio recordings. Ironically, I did not think the audiobook was good. The format required the narrators to not just narrate but act. The main narrator (who sounded like an actual kid) did a good job, but the other narrators... not so much. My theory is that they were never in a room together but recorded their parts separately, so the interactions didn't sound real. The recording won an AudioFile Earphones Award, so I suppose I'm the minority opinion on this. I generally dislike "full cast" style audiobooks. Still, I love the idea of it and I think kids will like it and it could be a great listen for a family road trip.

It's hard for me to let go and enjoy books like this because I find myself keeping a checklist of every cliche. At the same time I recognize that this book has a lot of heart and will connect with a lot of readers. Alex is over-the-top naive for an 11-year-old sometimes, but dang it if he isn't super cute. His singular preoccupation with rocket science (especially Carl Sagan and the Jodie Foster movie Contact) lent the book a nice science hook and provide the conceit for the format: Alex is making a "golden iPod" recording to send to aliens to explain life on Earth. This theme sort of mashes with the family theme. Alex is suddenly inspired to go find his long dead father after he discovers on Ancestry.com that he might be alive after all. It's a bit inelegant, but it makes for a packed story. Even with Alex summing up the story way too many times, it still flies by. ( )

This book is an awesome book to have for a class read out aloud. It takes about the science of space and includes the aspect of the adventure. It also talks about the aspect of how important family is for a child.

Intermediate-Middle School
A boy goes on an adventure to learn about space, family and himself.
This book is perfect for kids interested in STEM or space.

A beautiful and poignant story about a neglected, space-obsessed kid who makes his way to an amateur rocket-launching rally, and discovers family (some literal family, some not) among lost and lonely souls. See You in the Cosmos is one of those books that has a straightforward story for younger readers -- a road trip story, and a story about creating community -- but in between the words, Cheng implies conflicts and challenges that only older and wiser readers can see. The book deals matter-of-factly with serious mental illness. ( )