Cosmic

Cosmic
by Frank Cottrell Boyce

Liam has always felt a bit like he's stuck between two worlds. This is primarily because he's a twelve-year-old kid who looks like he's about thirty. Sometimes it's not so bad, like when his new principal mistakes him for a teacher on the first day of school or when he convinces a car dealer to let him take a Porsche out on a test drive. But mostly it's just frustrating, being a kid trapped in an adult world. And so he decides to flip things around. Liam cons his way onto the first spaceship to take civilians into space, a special flight for a group of kids and an adult chaperone, and he is going as the adult chaperone. It's not long before Liam, along with his friends, is stuck between two worlds again—only this time he's 239,000 miles from home. (description from Amazon.com)

What a great middle grade science fiction adventure! This book had me laughing out loud...and tearing up in some moments. Liam is a great kid and has a great opportunity to find out what it's like to be an adult...without growing up! I loved his attempts to be just like his father, or really what he thinks his father is like... It was hilarious to see a 12 year old acting like his perception of the adults around him.

It was really touching as he realized all the things that parents do for their children and he really came to appreciate (and miss!) his own father. Though there were many, many funny moments along the way, this book had a lot of heart. The way that this experience influences his relationship with his parents and the other kids he's friends with was really cool to read. I ended this book with a huge smile on my face!