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Aug 10, 2017KateHillier rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Alex is an 11 year old boy who loves space, rockets (he's building his own!), and looks up to his idol Carl Sagan (he named his dog after him). Alex is 11 but "13 in responsibility years." His older brother lives out of state and rarely visits, and his Mom isn't always reliable. Alex is singularly focused on getting his rocket to a competition and launching his Golden iPod out into space for aliens to listen to. The book is in the form of these recordings. It's amazing what you miss as you see the world through the eyes of an 11 year old. As the book progresses from road trip into something else you realise that there's a lot implied here that you've just accepted because that's Alex's reality. He doesn't report these things because it's normal for him and adults haven't had the best track record with him. Alex takes us on a journey to launch a rocket, to figure out his family, and answer those oh so wonderful questions of identity and purpose - and he inspires the adults around him to think about these questions too, You'll fall in love with Alex; and the scared and gassy canine Carl Sagan too.