Starred review from December 5, 2016
Alex Petroski, the idiosyncratic 11-year-old narrator of Cheng’s poignant and funny first novel, dutifully records his thoughts and adventures into an iPod, “so when intelligent beings millions of light-years away find it one day they’ll know what Earth was like.” The result is a propulsive stream-of-conscious dive into Alex’s life as he sets off alone from Colorado with his dog, Carl Sagan (named after Alex’s personal hero), to launch the iPod into space at the Southwest High-Altitude Rocket Festival in New Mexico. There, he encounters an eclectic cast of rocket enthusiasts and persuades two new adult friends, one of whom has taken a vow of silence, to take him to Las Vegas to track down his supposedly dead father. The trip continues as Alex meets his half-sister, resolves the mystery about his father, and travels on to Los Angeles to find his older brother. Details about his mother and her “quiet days,” mentioned throughout, take on increasing importance, especially once Alex returns home. Alex’s strong voice drives this compelling personal journey with resonant themes of family, friendship, and resilience. Ages 10–up.
July 31, 2017
Alex, an 11 year-old boy who loves astronomy, makes a series of recordings to send into outer space in an effort to communicate with aliens. He plans to launch them using a rocket at the Southwest High-Altitude Rocket Festival in New Mexico. Leaving his mother, who is neglectful and bedridden due to depression, behind in Colorado, he heads to the festival with his dog, Carl Sagan. His trip results in new friends, clues about his long-dead father, and a reunion with his half-sister. The book is told solely through Alex’s recordings, which makes it an ideal fit for audio. De Montebello is an excellent child actor who sounds completely natural as the innocent, earnest, curious protagonist; the other cast members—Michael Crouch, Jason Culp, Graham Halstead, and Brittany Pressley—are not quite as memorable. The audiobook effectively creates the illusion of spontaneous recordings with sound effects and background noise added in. This creative and unusual audiobook adds an extra dimension to the written work and brings the story to life in a way that perfectly matches the subject. Ages 10–up. A Dial hardcover.