See You in the Cosmos follows the story of Alex Petroski, an eleven-year-old boy who is about to set on a journey to Rocket Festival where he will launch his rocket to space. He will send his iPod, along with the rocket, to deliver a message to extraterrestrial creatures about life on earth. Being accompanied by his dog named Carl Sagan (yes! Just like that famous astronomer), Alex begins his journey from Colorado to L.A. Throughout this journey, he will discover various things. Alex will make new friends, learn new things, and even get to discover that the important fact about his father might not be entirely true. There will be joy, there will be tears, and most important of all, The Universe might prepare something special for Alex Petroski.
There are so many things that I like about this book. It is heartwarming, funny, and full of delight. Alex is a sweet main character that we could not help but root for. I love Carl Sagan too! Moreover, the format of the book is unique. It takes the form of a script that Alex records along the journey. If you want to get another level of reading experience, it will be better to listen to the audiobook version. It feels like listening to a real recording of Alex’s journey.
I think this book suits the theme of serendipity. The word “serendipity” means finding something great unexpectedly. Somehow, Alex’s journey throughout this book really represents that word. He starts his journey with a firm purpose, which is to send a message to space creatures. He devastatingly fails to fulfill his dream. Yet, surprisingly, Alex gains many other good things along the way. He establishes friendships with people from the Rocket Fair. He also discovers the truth about his father. In addition, he even meets someone that he can consider as family. All those people and experiences that Alex encounters from this journey are symbols of serendipity. They show the unexpected great things that have happened to Alex, even if he did not seek for them in the first place.
We have goals, purposes, and dreams that we want to achieve. Just like Alex’s journey, our progress in life will not be easy. There will always be various obstacles during the process. However, See You in the Cosmos teaches us that something great will happen along the way. All we need to do is take one step at a time and believe in good things despite everything else.
Author: Jack Cheng
Genre: Middle Grade, Children’s Literature
Published: February 28, 2017
Publisher: Dial Book
Journalist: Alvita Utomo Putri
Editor: Alma Anindita