Cosmic

Cosmic by Frank Cottrell Boyce

Liam has always felt a ite 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 betwenn two worlds again - only this time he's 239,000 miles from home.

Here's the book trailer.

And an interview with the author Frank Cottrell Boyce.

Outta this world

Laika by Nick Abadzis and Hilary Sycamore

This is one more to add to the great Outta This World collection, a simple colourful graphic novel that tells the story of the first dog in outer space.

Here's the summary:

Laika was a abandoned puppy destined to become the Earth's first space traveler. Nick Adadiz masterfully blends fiction and fact in the intertwined stories of three compelling lives. Along with Laika, there is Korolev, once a political prisoner, now a driven engineer at the top of the Soviet space program, and Yelena, the lab technician responsible for Laika health and life. This intense triangle is rendered with pitch-perfect emotionality of classics such as Because of Winn Dixie, Shiloh and Old Yeller. Abadiz gives life to a pivotal moment in modern history, casting light on the hidden moments of deep humanity behind history. Laika's story will speak straight to your heart.

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Outta this world

T - Minus: the race to the moon by Jim Ottaviani

This graphic novel presents a fictionalized account the race between the Soviet Union (Russia) and the United States. Over the course of almost ten years the Russians and Americans staged various battles in being the first to put a man on the moon. The Russians were leading this race for almost three quarters of it, with being the first to have space crafts put into the Earth's orbit, orbitting the Earth for the longest period of time, first to orbit the moon and the first to have a living creature from Earth go into orbit (Laika the dog). And then it was the Americans turn, after several failed attempts , they finally were getting men into orbit and of course were the first to put a man on the moon in June of 1969.

This book provided a very interesting time line to all of these varying firsts into space, and creates the tension that the engineers and scientist in both countries felt about how that race was to be won and at what expense. I learned a lot more about the space race than I could have imagined, and have a much greater respect for astronauts that continue to make milestones in space travel and at the international space station doing important research.

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Outta this world

You are the first kid on Mars by Patrick O'Brien

It wasn't really that long ago when the idea of putting a man on the moon seemed like a crazy idea and then in June of 1969 the mission Apollo 11 did just that. The dream of many kids was made a reality.

So to dream of being the first kids on Mars could see it's own reality maybe within the next forty years. Who knows maybe it will look something like the images in this book.

I really enjoyed this book - the creative ideas, especially the elevator car to Earth Station had me hooked. Ideas such as this could provide ideas to the engineers and scientists that work towards someday putting people of red planets surface.

The illustrations are perfect in their dusty red. And there was plenty of information about Mars to make this more than just a picture book. Let your imagination soar with this trip Outta This World.

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