Cosmic (MG)

Cosmic. Frank Cottrell Boyce. 2010. [January 2010]. HarperCollins. 313 pages.

Mom, Dad--if you're listening--you know I said I was going to the South Lakeland Outdoor Activity Center with the school?
To be completely honest, I'm not exactly in the Lake District.
To be completely honest, I'm more sort of in space.
I'm on this rocket, the Infinite Possibility. I'm about two hundred thousand miles above the surface of the Earth. I'm all right . . . ish.
I know I've got some explaining to do. This is me doing it.

I loved this one. I just loved it. That being said, I'm not sure how to best describe this one. How to make you want to read it.

Liam, our narrator, isn't always the most honest of children. His height sets him apart from his peers. And adults, well, they tend to see him as an adult--even though he's just twelve. Because he can get away with it (at times) he uses this to his advantage. But there is such a thing as too much of a good thing. And Liam begins to realize that just because you can do something doesn't mean that you should do something. Unfortunately, this realization comes a little too late to get him out of a sticky situation.

How does a twelve-year-old end up in space? Well, Liam tells his story far better than I ever could. Though the book begins with Liam (and five other children) lost in space, he begins his story earlier than that. And for the most part, I think his storytelling was effective. What I liked best about this was the blending of humor and sincerity. I also liked the journey Liam takes in this one. It's a true coming-of-age story as Liam realizes some important truths about himself, about his family, about his friends, about life.

So I definitely recommend this one!

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews