See You in the Cosmos facts for kids
First edition cover
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| Author | Jack Cheng |
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| Translators |
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| Cover artist | Jason Henry |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Bildungsroman, juvenile |
| Set in | United States |
| Publisher | Dial Books (US) Puffin Books (UK) |
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Publication date
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February 18, 2017 |
| Media type | Paperback, hardback, Audio CD, e-book |
| Pages | 320 |
| ISBN | 978-0-399-18638-7 (paperback) |
| OCLC | 1077591862 |
| 813.6 | |
See You in the Cosmos is a popular novel from 2017 written by Chinese-American author Jack Cheng. It's his first book for young readers. The story is told through recordings, like a diary made of sounds. It follows an 11-year-old boy named Alex Petroski, who loves astronomy.
Alex goes on an adventure to learn more about his dad, who has passed away. He records sounds on his iPod because he wants to launch them into space. His goal is for beings from other planets to hear them!
The book was well-received when it came out. Many people liked the way the story was told and thought Alex was a very memorable character. The audiobook version was also praised for sounding very natural.
Contents
About the Author and the Book's Idea
Jack Cheng was born in Shanghai, China, around 1984. He moved to Troy, Michigan, when he was five years old. He later became a writer.
Cheng got the idea for See You in the Cosmos in 2012. He was at his parents' house for Thanksgiving. He saw a famous photo called Pale Blue Dot in his brother's room. This picture shows Earth from very far away in space. Seeing it reminded him of a podcast episode about the photo. The next day, the idea for the novel came to him, and he started writing right away.
He also mentioned that a road trip he took in 2013 helped inspire the story. He wanted to understand his own family's history, just like Alex in the book.
Cheng did research to make sure parts of the novel were accurate. This included learning about social work and how children are protected. Even though he is Asian-American, Cheng didn't write the book specifically about that experience. He wanted to tell a story where a character's background didn't have to be the main focus.
When Cheng wrote the book, he didn't have a specific age group in mind. He just thought the story and the 11-year-old character were interesting. His agent later suggested it would be great for young adults, especially those aged 10–14.
What Happens in the Story
The main character is 11-year-old Alexander Petroski. He lives in a made-up town called Rockview, Colorado, with his mom. His older brother, Ronnie, lives in Los Angeles. Alex has a puppy named Carl Sagan, after the famous scientist.
Alex has a special iPod that he spray-painted gold. He's been recording sounds on it, just like the real Voyager Golden Record that was sent into space. He plans to launch his own homemade rocket, called Voyager 3, at a festival.
Alex and Carl Sagan travel to Albuquerque, New Mexico, for the rocket festival. On the train, Alex meets Zed, a martial arts master who communicates using a chalkboard. Zed takes Alex to the festival. Sadly, Alex's rocket crashes right after launch, but his iPod is safe.
Alex gets an email saying his dad, Joseph David Petroski, is in Las Vegas, Nevada. Alex doesn't know much about his dad, so he asks his new friend Steve to drive him there. In Vegas, Carl Sagan gets lost. While searching for his dog, Alex finds his dad's daughter, Terra. It turns out Terra is Alex's half-sister! Terra was born to Joseph and his first wife. Alex and Terra quickly become friends.
They all travel to Los Angeles. Steve and another friend, Nathan, have an argument. Steve gets upset and says some mean things to Alex about building rockets. Alex passes out, and Terra decides to leave Steve behind.
Terra takes Alex home. When they arrive, Alex's mom isn't there. Alex ends up in the hospital after an accident. When he gets out, he learns that his mom, Karen, has a serious health condition that affects her mind. Ronnie also tells Alex that their dad, Joseph, was not a good person to their mom. Joseph traveled a lot for work, which is how he met Terra's mom. Joseph later died in an accident. Because of her illness, Karen was very sad and kept Joseph's ashes in her room. Ronnie, who was angry, threw the ashes away. Ronnie then left their hometown because he saw it as a bad place.
A social worker named Juanita needs to decide if Alex should go into foster care. But Ronnie says he will stay in Rockview to take care of Alex. Alex, Ronnie, and Terra start spending more time together and enjoying themselves.
Later, a space organization called CivSpace invites Alex to watch a rocket launch. They had heard about Alex's story. The Cloud 9 rocket is carrying a satellite to Mars from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. As the rocket takes off, Alex realizes that with the help and love of others, his own dream of sending Voyager 3 into space can come true.
Main Characters
- Alexander Petroski— An 11-year-old boy who lives in Rockview, Colorado. He thinks he's more mature than his age and doesn't like being called a kid. He loves songs from the real Voyager Golden Record. Alex works part-time at a gas station.
- Carl Sagan— Alex's pet puppy. Alex found him in a parking lot. Carl Sagan once got lost in Las Vegas but was found safely.
- Ronnie "RJ" Petroski— Alex's older brother.
- Karen— Alex's mother, who has a mental health condition.
- Joseph David Petroski— Alex's father, who has passed away. He was from a European family.
- Terra— A 19-year-old girl living in Las Vegas. She is Alex's half-sister.
Awards and Recognition
See You in the Cosmos has won several awards:
| Award | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 Golden Kite Award | Middle Grade Fiction | Won | |
| 2018 Audie Award | Middle Grade | Won | |
| 2018—2019 Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award | Master List | Listed | |
| 2019 Oklahoma Sequoyah Book Awards | rowspan="2" Grade 6—8 | Nominated | |
| 2017 VOYA's Top Shelf Fiction for Middle School Readers | 3rd place |
What's Next for the Book?
Jack Cheng has said he doesn't plan to write a sequel right now, but he's not completely against the idea. He has also been talking with people in the film industry about making the book into a movie. However, he says it's still a long way from actually happening.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Cheng posted videos on YouTube. In these videos, he read chapters from See You in the Cosmos. This helped students who were learning from home.
Images for kids
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Cover art of different editions of the book.
