See You in the Cosmos

By: Jack Cheng

Narrated by: Kivlighan de Montebello, Brittany Pressley, Graham Halstead, Michael Crouch, Jason Culp, Thérèse Plummer, Susan Bennett, Dan Bittner, Pete Larkin, Courtney Shaw

Length: 6 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's summary

A space-obsessed boy and his dog, Carl Sagan, take a journey toward family, love, hope, and awe in this funny and moving novel for fans of Counting by 7s and Walk Two Moons.

Eleven-year-old Alex Petroski loves space and rockets, his mom, his brother, and his dog, Carl Sagan - named for his hero, the real-life astronomer. All he wants is to launch his golden iPod into space the way Carl Sagan (the man, not the dog) launched his Golden Record on the Voyager spacecraft in 1977. From Colorado to New Mexico, Las Vegas to LA, Alex records a journey on his iPod to show other lifeforms what life on Earth, his Earth, is like. But his destination keeps changing. And the funny, lost, remarkable people he meets along the way can only partially prepare him for the secrets he'll uncover - from the truth about his long-dead dad to the fact that, for a kid with a troubled mom and a mostly not-around brother, he has way more family than he ever knew.

For fans of Wonder and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Jack Cheng's debut is full of joy, optimism, determination, and unbelievable heart. To listen to the first few minutes is to fall in love with Alex and his view of our big, beautiful, complicated world. To listen to the end is to know he and his story will stay with you a long, long time.

Read by Kivlighan de Montebello and a full cast, including Brittany Pressley (as Terra), Graham Halstead (as Steve), Michael Crouch (as Ronnie), and Jason Culp (as Zed). Additional narration provided by Therese Plummer, Susan Bennett, Dan Bittner, Pete Larkin, and Courtney Shaw.

2018 Audie Award Winner: Middle Grade
Audible Best Kids Audiobook of 2017 - Finalist
2017 Booklist Editors' Choice: Audios for Youth
2018 ALSC Notable Children’s Recording
2018 YALSA Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults

"The premise of the book - a story told through audio recordings - is a natural fit for an audiobook, and the narrators hit it out of the park." (Booklist, starred review)

"Kivlighan de Montebello's engaging young voice embodies 11-year-old Alex Petroski...an altogether captivating listening experience." (AudioFile Earphones Award)

©2017 Jack Cheng (P)2017 Listening Library

Critic reviews

Winner of the Golden Kite Award

A Top 10 IndieNext Pick

Winner of the Great Lakes Great Reads Award

"The episodic action - which includes narrators Brittany Pressley, Graham Halstead, Michael Crouch, Jason Culp, and others as supporting characters - makes it easy to suspend disbelief and renders this an altogether captivating listening experience." (AudioFile)

“I love this book - the characters, the story, but most of all, the voice that writer Jack Cheng has created. See You in the Cosmos is the best I've read in a long, long, long time. It’s a story that changes the way you see the world.” (Holly Goldberg Sloan, author of Counting by 7s)

"The more [Alex] learns the truth about his family, the more he begins to wonder what a family really is. And if yours isn’t working well, this novel asks, how do you make a better one?... Alex’s voice stayed with me. If extraterrestrials ever did find his Golden iPod, they would think Earthlings were wonderful." (The New York Times Book Review)

Love it✨✨✨

I have loved This book it is so interesting and I couldn’t stop listening. Although it can be a little dark and deep it evens out with happy moments like when he meets Terra. I suggest this book for 11 and 12 year olds I am 12 and I obviously love it. - Georgia Bradford

See you in the Cosmos

Simply delightful. Loved getting to know Alex and his “family”. So important to see that we all find our place in the world. His innocence is refreshing. Great for Fourth grade and up.

My 11 and 9 year old kids loved it!

This was an awesome audiobook. The story itself was great but the narration was well dramatized with different character voices and great sound effects. The kids loved it because the main character Alex was charming and never gave up.

Beautiful

This is probably the most amazing audio book I've ever heard. Incredibly well done. perfect.

Amazing

Amazing book. Loved it. Heard the entire book in one sitting. Hope there is a second one comming

Amazing story

I absolutely loved this book. Great story & wonderful audio production. The boy who narrates the part of Alex should have also narrated Augie’s part in Wonder. I can only imagine how well he would narrate Wonder

Amazing audio! Wow!

Characters and sound effects make this Audio book amazing! I really feel that I could never read it after hearing it because sound effects and actors made it so true to life!

We are The Cosmos

With simplicity and intrigue Cheng explores the depths of family, truth, and coming of age. Thought provoking and incisiveness. A challenge for all ages.

Excellent

My 5th graders just finished this book. They loved it, and clapped at the end! ALL said it was the best book to listen too, and hope they make a movie. Great job!

Out of this world!

I really enjoyed this book, the narration was wonderful and the story was engaging.
I purchased it to listen to with my teenage client. The story gets a little heavy for younger people, depending on their life experience, but she liked it almost as much as I did. I highly recommend it for young people and those young at heart.