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Chrome Music Lab - Song made Oct 05, 2021

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Check out this song created with Song Maker.

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https://musiclab.chromeexperiments.com/Song-Maker/song/5832797492609024

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Some people has lots of friends, Some people don't but they can be determined and have kindness in order to make friends.

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Everyone hoped for others to be kind, determined, and brave

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Sometimes you may not have friends or family surrounding you but when you do have them they will give you hope, and that hope can give determination to keep going.

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Many people are determined to find friends, you just want to be loyal and hope they come to you.

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Determined, Brave, Friendship, Loyal, Hope, Alone

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Determined, Brave, Friendship, Loyal, Hope, Alone

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Using determination, bravery, loyalty, and hope, he found his way out and wasn't alone.

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https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1JXsLC5fMt_jHKmNXk9myRssOWKQOD11ogKGpiF7G1Y0/edit#slide=id.p

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Alex is brave because he keeps going even though he loses Carl Sagan, and people are fighting.

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Throughout the story Alex was scared most of the time. But he acted brave and it paid off.

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He is really kind to everyone he meets even though not many people and society are not kinds to him.

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Alex was brave when he traveled by him self

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Alex is confused on just finding out that he has a 19yr old half sister

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Alex is alone, because his dad is dead, his mom has schizophrenia, and doesn't care about him, and his brother Ronnie is off in LA. Alex has to embark on his journey alone.

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I say that this is a concept because through out the book Alex had to hope for certain things to happen such as finding Carl Sagan, and getting to SHARF.

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Though his mom and Alex's brother are distant I do think they care about him. Terra cares about him a lot as well. Though society is cruel to him he still has his family and friends.

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Alex is determined. This means that he doesn't give up,  even though life dealt him a bad hand.

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Alex is sad that he lost Carl Sagan

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family
courage
hope
grief
friends
caring
brave
determination

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Relationships
Alex was not really cared for until Terra came. The society does not except much from him.

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My notebook page

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My theory is that schizophrenia runs in their family, and i think that jack cheng wrote about this fictional character is because he said that the character, has some of his own experiences. I think its a window, because it shows us a life of a fictional character in first person.

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28% of the people are homeless and live alone and can be in prison or jail
25% live with their own family members
20% live in groups
-got information off google

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https://www.google.com/search?q=schizophrenia&rlz=1CATAVM_enUS969US969&oq=schizophrenia&aqs=chrome.0.69i59l2j0i433i512l3j0i131i433i512j0i433i512j69i60.1463j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&safe=active&ssui=on

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The mom has schizophrenia, it makes them see/hear things that arent there.

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This severe mental disorder can result in hallucinations, delusions, and extremely disordered thinking and behavior that interfere with daily living.

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Schizophrenia is the illness is that Alex's mom has. It is when they can see and hear things that are not real. It can cause great distress to a person with that illness. It is a very serious illness.

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Like Layla said the mom has schizophrenia. Schizophrenia people see things such as weird drawings and more

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https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/schizophrenia

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The mom has schizophrenia, which is when she hears voices in her head. The voices tell her to do bad things.
"Symptoms can include delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, trouble with thinking and lack of motivation."

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I still haven't gotten over (Dial Books for Young Readers, 2017). So after I reviewed the book See You in the Cosmos by Jack Cheng here and cooked up some classroom and book club activities for it, I just had to grill Jack about his influences and creative process. Read our interview below!

Hi, Jack! What motivates and inspires you to write for young readers?

Getting to meet kids (both in school and through my books) who are at a time in their life when they're really starting to form their values. It's a time when they're really starting to ask the big questions about life and the people around them-the same big questions that we keep asking, I think, even when we grow into adults.

I was excited when I saw that the main character of See You in the Cosmos, Alex Petroski, was Filipino American. Is there a particular reason you made Alex Filipino American?

To be honest, I thought about making Alex Chinese American but I felt like it would've been a different novel. I would've been too tempted to bring in my own experience as a Chinese American, and I don't think that's what this novel wanted to be. At the same time, I wanted to represent an Asian American character because I had so few of those characters in my own life when I was growing up.

Can you please guide us through your research and creative process for See You in the Cosmos?

When I first start working on a book, I'm more writing to find out what it's about. And SYITC was no exception. I had a basic premise-a boy and his dog trying to launch his iPod into space-and from there it almost becomes like experiencing a dream. Characters, locations, etc. appear without me really knowing why. It's only after I've gone through a rough draft that I can then go back and try to understand what it means, what it's trying to say, and build an outline from there for future drafts.

As far as research goes, I was mostly reading Carl Sagan (the astronomer)'s books, and rewatching the original COSMOS television show. To make sure I was representing Alex's mother appropriately, I read a couple memoirs written by people who've struggled with schizophrenia. I will say that when it comes to research, I have trouble reading anything that I'm not naturally interested in, because then it just feels like homework.

What really struck me about See You in the Cosmos was Alex's voice. What's your secret? How did you hone your voice as a writer for young readers? What are your tips for writers regarding voice?

Voice to me is almost impossible to craft, at least not in the way you can craft a sentence. It's more like listening. You're creating the conditions for the character to speak, and then you have to listen for the voice that emerges. I do think you can practice listening though. You can try to pay more attention to the way people in your life talk, and try to think: Why did they say it this way instead of another?

Who are your favorite authors and graphic designers? How have they influenced your own work?

Ah there are so many! The previous question reminds me of J.D. Salinger, who was a master of voice and dialogue. I think what's really remarkable about Salinger is the way he can convey so much just through two people having a conversation. He's more like a playwright in that way. I'm also influenced by authors like Octavia Butler and Ursula K. Le Guin (RIP), whose books have kid characters yet appeal to adults too. That's one thing I strive for: To write books that you can read as a kid and find something wonderful in, and then read twenty years later as an adult and find something different.

As far as designers, one of my favorites is comic book artist Chris Ware. Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth is maybe my favorite graphic novel of all time. Maybe.

If you were to visit the Philippines, would you a) visit white sand beaches and underground caves, go sailing, go snorkeling and scuba diving, etc.; or b) check out the natural wonders above ground, like the Taal Volcano, the Banaue Rice Terraces, and the Chocolate Hills. Why?

Do I have to pick one? Ah I think I'd go for b. I like being in the mountains.

What are you reading now? What are you working on now?
I'm currently reading Orphan Island and really intrigued by the premise (I'm only a few chapters in). I'm working on another middle grade novel, this time with a Chinese American main character. It's much more personal than SEE YOU IN THE COSMOS, and more about my own childhood growing up in the Detroit area, as well as what it's been like for me moving back here as an adult, three years ago.

Thank you so much for this interview, Jack! I'm really looking forward to your next novel.

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I still haven't gotten over (Dial Books for Young Readers, 2017). So after I reviewed the book See You in the Cosmos by Jack Cheng here and cooked up some classroom and book club activities for it, I just had to grill Jack about his influences and creative process.

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Episode Outline:

You can listen to the episode here.
Intro
Hi and welcome to the Books Between Podcast! I believe in the power of stories to inspire us and to change our lives for the better. And I know that being a reader encourages us to be more empathetic and to be better citizens in our world. And I want to help you connect kids with those amazing, life-changing stories and bring you inspiring (and fun!) conversations with the authors and educators who make that magic happen. Every other Monday, I bring you book talks, interviews, and ideas for getting great books into the hands of kids between 8-12.

I am Corrina Allen - a mom of two tween girls, a teacher to 23 fifth graders, and I've been planning a baby shower this week! My brother (who is also a teacher) and his wife (whois a librarian) are expecting their first this April. So - o f course, I had to throw them a picture book themed baby shower.

This is Episode #44 and today I'm sharing with you a conversation with author Jack Cheng about his debut middle grade novel (and the MG at Heart February Book Club pick) See You in the Cosmos ! And then I'll end with a Q&A.

A few quick announcements. For those participating in the MG at Heart Books Club - the Twitter Chat to discuss See You in the Cosmos will be on Monday, March 6th at 8pm EST. Just follow the Hashtag #mgbookclub and I'll see you there! Also, the March book is The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street by Karina Yan Glaser. And the April book is The Parker Inheritance by Varian Johnson. If you want to know the rest of the schedule along with other great middle great content, please head over to MGBookVillage.org - we have a book-release calendar and a great blog. One of my favorites from this past week is the post from Sayantani Dasgupta (author of The Serpent's Secret ) called "Nothing About Us Without Us: Writing #OwnVoices Fantasy in the Age of Black Panther" - if you haven't read it yet - it's great. (And go see Black Panther - it was phenomenal!!)

So - there's lots going on at MGBookVillage. It's where all the transcripts of this podcast can be found. And - Kathie and Jarrett and Annaliese and I have been cooking up something pretty awesome for March. So stayed tuned!

Jack Cheng - Interview Outline

Joining me this month to ask Jack Cheng questions is one of the founders of the MG at Heart Book Club - and an author herself , Cindy Baldwin. Her novel, Where the Watermelons Grow , is out this July. We got the chance to connect with Jack on Skype last week and here is our conversation...
CA: For our listeners who haven't yet read the novel, can you tell us a bit about Alex's journey in See You in the Cosmos? CA: The premise of this book is that the entire thing is recorded on Alex's Golden iPod. What were some aspects of writing the novel that were challenging because of that decision? CB: Did you ever consider writing it another way? CB: Alex is such a pitch-perfect balance of being really naive but also really precocious and shouldering a lot of adult responsibility. How did you strike that sweet spot in his voice between a kid who's shouldering adult responsibilities but also being really clueless? CB: How did you figure out how to assign time logs to the recorded entries? Did you read any of them aloud or was it all random guesswork? CA: Where you a fan of Carl Sagan's Cosmos? JL: Yours is the second recently released kidlit book I've read in the past few months that features the Voyager Golden Record and spacecraft centrally. ( CB: Have you ever built a rocket? And what kind of research did you do? The Care and Feeding of a Pet Black Hole CA: I just loved your podcast - See You on the Bookshelf - where you interview all the different people who helped make See You in the Cosmos as reality - from your agent and editor and copyeditor to the audio people. Why did you decide to create podcast to document the journey of your novel? CA: Did I hear that See You in the Cosmos was originally written as an adult book? If so - what changes did you make to angle your writing more toward middle grade? CB: You tackle some serious topics in this book. You touch on child neglect, mental illness, running away, infidelity... What made you decide to explore these issues in this book? Why do you think it's important to address difficult, mature topics like this in middle grade? CB: Do you feel like you'll continue to experiment with unusual formats in your work in the future? CA: What are you working on now? CA: One of the goals of this podcast is to help educators and librarians inspire kids to read more and connect them with amazing books. Did you have a teacher or librarian in your life who helped you grow into a reader? CB: What role did reading have on your decision to be a writer? CA: What are you reading now? Thank You! Links: is the other one.) Carl Sagan said that "the launching of this 'bottle' into the cosmic 'ocean' said something very hopeful about life on this planet. I'd love to know what YOU think it is about the Golden Record project, and the launching of it out into space, that so captures and ignites the imagination, and why it might be a powerful thing for young people in particular to learn about.
Your Writing Life / See You on the Bookshelf Podcast
Original Cosmos Series
Jack's website - https://jackcheng.com

Jack's See You on the BookShelf Podcast
Books & Authors We Chatted About:
Information about the Voyager Golden Record

Audio version of See You in the Cosmos

Q & A

This week I'm going to end by addressing some questions and comments that I have been getting a lot over the last two weeks. In the wake of the most recent school shooting, at the Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida on February 14th - many many people have emailed and messaged me to express their anguish and to simply ask, "How is everyone doing?" I know a lot you listening have been reaching out to me and to each other and hoping that maybe something's different this time.

Every time I record a show I start by saying that I am a mom and I am a teacher. And living in this society that glorifies gun violence and seems to tolerate it against its most vulnerable, I want to tell you what that means.

So as a mom, it means that my husband and I send our girls to school and we hope and feel lucky when they come home safely. As a mom, it means that your heart shreds a little more every time your child comes home and tells you where they hid during that day's drill. And as a mom, it means all too often I need to pull over to the side of the road on the way home from work to dry my tears at the latest news of yet another shooting of a child - in a school or in a neighborhood where all they've done wrong is wear a hooded sweatshirt. But as mom, you pull yourself together so you can listen to your children tell you about their day without dimming their smiles.

And I am also a teacher living in a culture where we and our students have become prey. And I want to tell you what that means.

It means that twice a year my students and I practice a lock down in case a shooter is in the school. They hide. Try to be quiet. And I shut the lights and hover near that locked door and plan how I might react if it wasn't a drill. How could I use my body to shield theirs. Is there something nearby I can grab and use as a weapon?

A stapler? Should I have grabbed that screwdriver out of the science kit?

And I know it would never stop them. But it might just slow them down, a little. So that some could escape and there might be one less family to suffer that unimaginable grief of losing a child.

But being that shield would mean that my own children would be left without a mother. And yet - all teachers I know do it willingly and gladly. Because we protect our kids - no matter what. That is the deal.

And I know my own teachers would have done the same. I know my daughters' teachers would do the same. They'd protect those lives with their own. But our society has that promise of protection.

And it is a heavy heavy burden placed on the shoulders of our children and our teachers. And it is too much. And I've even been asked - well, hey - what if you had a gun? Couldn't you save more kids? First of all, a handgun is no match for assault weapon. And even a highly trained professional only averages an 18-25% accuracy rate in that kind of situation. When I think of where those other bullets might go in a school? For that reason and for a thousand more - NO! If you want to arm us, arm us with more counselors who serve students and not just sit in meetings about testing!

It's too much. But in return for that heavy burden on our children and their teachers - the drills, the anxiety that comes with every news story and every false alarm (and there are so many more of them than you know) - we expect action to end this brutal, soul-crushing gun violence. Action from our representatives, but also action from YOU.

Because our government WILL act. Once we are LOUD enough. And make them feel uncomfortable enough. And it's really no surprise to me that the generation who grew up reading about are at the forefront of this. They cut their teeth on the stories of brave young activists. They have finally gotten some momentum, so let's help them. I've called my representatives three times a week, and I'm going to the March for Our Lives on March 24th .

So I am begging you - please if you live in the US. - please help. Call the people who claim to represent you and I'll see you at the march.
Corrina is the host of Books Between - a podcast to help teachers, parents, and librarians connect children between 8 and 12 to books they'll love. Find her on Twitter at @corrinaaallen or Instagram at @Corrina_Allen.

C orrina Allen is a 5th grade teacher in Central New York and mom of two energetic tween girls. She is passionate about helping kids discover who they are as readers.

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A Conversation with Jack Cheng: Books Between, Episode 44

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Episode Outline: You can listen to the episode here. Intro Hi and welcome to the Books Between Podcast! I believe in the power of stories to inspire us and to change our lives for the better. And I know that being a reader encourages us to be more empathetic and to be better citizens in...

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https://bookpage.com/interviews/21049-jack-cheng-childrens#.YUir9NbYrrc

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#346 | September 19, 2021

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346 | September 19, 2021 It���s deadline month, hence the erratic Sunday notes. I���ve been trying to be consistent again with all the things I do before I start writing���exercise, shower, meditate, have tea and a light breakfast, disable the internet, journal for a few minutes���so that I���m warmed up, physically and mentally, by the time I look at the manuscript.

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See You in the Cosmos tells the story of eleven year old Alex who, inspired by his hero Carl Sagan, sets off for a rocket festival in New Mexico to launch his iPod full of recordings into space. Along his journey, Alex uncovers some surprising revelations about his family. Author Jack Cheng shared with me his inspiration for writing this moving middle grade novel, which is our February book club pick.
After college, you moved to New York and worked in advertising before co-founding a design studio. Then you completely changed course, returned to Michigan, and turned to writing full time. What inspired you to make that change?
Right around the time I started the design studio with my friends, I started keeping a daily journal. I would try to write three pages in it every day. One day I sat down and didn't have anything to write about. I usually just wrote about my day or what was on my mind. And suddenly this scene popped into my head for what would eventually become my first book. I wrote it down. The next day another scene came. A few weeks later I realized while this is not a book yet, it is something that could be turned into a book. Then it just became this nights and weekends thing. I would come back tired from work and spend an hour on it or put in a little time on the weekends. After maybe a year or two of doing that, I realized I was enjoying writing so much more than my day job. Around that same time, I had dinner with a friend and was telling him about my plan to do a Kickstarter project for the book. I blurted out that I'd be willing to move back to Michigan and live out of my parents' basement in order to keep writing. That was something I couldn't say about anything else. Thank goodness it never quite came down to that. But because of that conversation and everything leading up to it, I decided to leave my full time position and work freelance for my company. One freelance project lasting a month or two would buy me a few months writing time. So that is how I started transitioning over to writing.
That's a great story. I especially like your realization moment. Very telling. As you said, your first novel, These Days, grew out of journaling. There do seem to be parallels between your life and the main character in the book, Connor. Connor moves from the midwest to New York and is dissatisfied with his job in the tech industry. How much of the book was inspired by your experience at the time?
I don't think I realized it quite so much as I was writing it, but in retrospect definitely. Because I was doing it nights and weekends, it became almost a form of therapy. A way for me to vent about things happening at work, to express my dissatisfaction with advertising, and how I moved from that to starting my own company.
You published These Days through a Kickstarter campaign. My understanding is that you finished the book and sent it out to some agents, but weren't getting any initial bites. So you decided to self-publish. How did you decide to go with Kickstarter?
I had a couple of friends who had done Kickstarter projects for their books. I also met one of the co-founders of Kickstarter very early on through startup circles. So Kickstarter was already on my radar. At first it was this contingency plan. Then I wasn't getting much of a response from sending out the manuscript to agents. I took that to mean the book wasn't very good yet. I saw Kickstarter as a way to not only learn how to write a novel from start to finish, but also the steps of a publishing process. There was a realization that this wasn't going to be the last book I wrote. I could have seen myself writing ten or more books. So it became more of a learning exercise.
You were able to get enough money from your Kickstarter campaign to do the bulk print. And it was through the bulk print that you got in touch with your agent for See You in the Cosmos.
The book was featured in the Kickstarter newsletter and she subscribed to that. It was the first literary fiction project she'd seen on Kickstarter. A lot of the projects at the time were sci-fi, fantasy or nonfiction. So that's how we got in touch. She asked to read a copy of the manuscript early on and saw its potential.
See You in the Cosmos is written for the 10-14 year old set, but you didn't initially plan it that way.
So initially I didn't even think about who the audience might be. It was more the story seemed interesting and the main character happened to be eleven. I was just writing to explore these characters and tell their story. It wasn't until I sent the manuscript to my agent and she said we need to submit it as a young adult novel. Then we both quickly learned about the middle grade category. So we had to think about what it meant to make this for that 10-14 age range.
See You in the Cosmos touches on some heavy topics. Alex's mother suffers from mental illness. His father is dead. Alex's brother is estranged from the family. Alex is taking a multistate journey on his own. Were those topics you needed to rewrite to be appropriate to the age group?
There weren't as many edits as I would have thought. Those things were all there from the beginning and were the most unchanging. There were a lot of very little changes. Like in the original draft, I have Alex swearing in a way that was very funny. The way a kid would swear without knowing how inappropriate it is. Those were things I had to find creative ways around. Another was a moment when one of the characters was smoking a cigarette. She was such a sympathetic character that my editors asked to not have her smoking. So I wrote around it by having her go to a gas station and, instead of picking up a pack of cigarettes, buy a pack of gum. Little things like that. The biggest cut was a scene where a supporting character was talking into the iPod elaborating about what was going on from his point of view. That was something we cut because it took the reader too far away from Alex's perspective.
As you alluded to, Alex's journey and the people he encounters are all revealed through iPod recordings. That different narrative approach was what initially drew me to the book. How did you decide on that format and was it difficult to sustain?
I decided on that day one or two. When I first had the idea, I had Alex trying to launch his iPod into space. So I thought why not try to tell the story on the iPod. After all, one of the inspirations for the story was an episode from the podcast Radiolab in which Carl Sagan's widow, Ann Druyan, talked about how the two of them fell in love as they were working on The Golden Record. So this book was born from an audio format. It felt very appropriate to try to stick to that. When I'm writing, I try to set up these challenges for myself to make the act of writing more entertaining and make myself have to think up creative solutions around it.
Those scenes of Alex conveying Zed's character, who has taken a vow of silence and communicates via chalkboard, are some of my favorites. Even though you are several steps removed from Zed, you are given a complete picture.
I love writing dialogue and having characters play off of each other. In some ways, this book is entirely dialogue. Now that you mention it, what comes to mind is one of my favorite authors, J.D. Salinger, and how he is able to accomplish so much with just two people talking to each other. In this one short story, A Perfect Day for Bananafish, you have the character's new wife talking to her mother on the phone. Through the conversation, you understand exactly what is going on with both sides. I believe in the power of dialogue and conversation to not only express character, but express every aspect of story.
As we've said, Carl Sagan is Alex's hero in See You in the Cosmos. Were you also a big fan growing up?
I personally wasn't. I was interested in astronomy, but no more so than I was interested in other things as a kid. For instance, I was obsessed with baseball in fourth and fifth grade because we had that slew of '90s baseball movies like Rookie of the Year and Angels in the Outfield. I was playing little league and was the same age as the characters in those movies. So I would say as a kid, my interests were much more varied. But at the same time, I was as enthusiastic about them as Alex. Just not quite as singularly obsessed. While working on the book, I was definitely reading more books on astronomy and books by Carl Sagan. I re-watched the original Cosmos series. So as a result I became much more of a fan of astronomy.
One of the great things about being a writer must be the ability to delve into areas and become an expert by the time you finish the book. We've touched on your ideas when you started this novel. You had the idea for a rocket, Carl Sagan, and Alex and went from there. I've also read that some characters appeared along the way that you didn't expect.
I treat the rough initial draft as a lucid dream. In a dream you are encountering all these characters and you don't have any control over it. You just kind of see it. You might have a little bit of agency, but for the most part you are just letting it happen to you. Only after the dream is over can you go back and make sense of it. So the rough draft of the novel is very much the same experience for me. I'm writing to find out what happens. Only after do I go back and make an outline and figure out the main aspects I can use to structure the story.
You've already started writing another middle grade book that will be set in Michigan and address your experience growing up as a Chinese-American. Can you tell us a bit more about how the book is going?
It's been a struggle at times. I know too much now about the publishing process and everything that comes after. So a lot of the process so far for this book has to be to get back to the beginner's mind. To get back to the place where I'm just writing to find out what happens. Something I'm learning is every book has its own process, and part of the challenge is learning how the book wants to be written. If I can get back to writing as therapy, writing to heal myself and heal things that have been too uncomfortable to face directly, then regardless of what happens to the book, whether or not it gets published, I'll have gained something out of it and grown.
I read in an interview before the book was published that you have never launched a rocket. You bought one for research while writing the book, but you didn't launch it. You said you might launch it on the book's release date. Did you?
I still haven't launched it. It's still sitting in my closet. I'm a huge procrastinator. I realize I benefit from deadline pressure. So if there is no one expecting me to launch a rocket, it's probably not going to happen for a while.
We hope you are enjoying See You in the Cosmos as well. Check out Kid Curated Books' live review on our Facebook page on March 12.
This entry was posted by BOLD APPS in News

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See You in the Cosmos tells the story of eleven year old Alex who, inspired by his hero Carl Sagan, sets off for a rocket festival in New Mexico to launch his iPod full of recordings into space. Along his journey, Alex uncovers some surprising revelations about his family.

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Author Q&A: Inspiration, Fear, and Writing See You in the Cosmos

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Tweets by jackcheng

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Q: How did you come up with the idea for See You in the Cosmos, and for your main character, Alex?

When I picked it up off the shelf, I remembered this episode of Radiolab I'd listened to years ago, in which Sagan's widow Ann Druyan talked about how they fell in love as they worked to gather sounds for the Voyager Golden Record.

I guess those things were kicking around in my head when I went to bed that night, because when I woke up I had an idea for a story about a boy and his dog trying to launch his iPod into space. I was also in between drafts of another novel at the time, so I pretty much started working on it right away.

A: It was one of those things that seemed natural from the beginning-I already had this iPod, so why not use it to tell the story? Thinking back on it now, the format was probably also influenced by the radio show mentioned above.

When I'm writing I generally try not to invent anything I don't have to. I try to make use of what's already in the story to solve the story's questions. In this case, the iPod seemed like a neat solution to the question of narrative format.

A: I might have an idea of the general direction a book is going, but otherwise I'm very much in it along with the characters. They have things they want-Alex for instance, wants to launch his rocket-and that suggests that we're building to some kind of launch or attempted launch.

But it might not be the end of the story. It might be that in the process of trying to get what he wants, Alex's wants change, or he gets what he wants but not in the way he or I had first imagined; he comes to find what he really needs.

The first time through-the first couple of drafts-you're exploring this unfamiliar terrain. Only after you've done that can you draw up a map-and act as a guide-for the reader.

A: I wasn't quite as obsessed as Alex is-and had a much broader range of interests as a kid-but through the course of writing the book and immersing myself in Sagan's work, I definitely became a huge fan.

I think what impresses me most about Sagan is his sense of awe and wonder for the mysterious and unknown-for the processes of questioning and discovering, and how those processes connect us to a basic humanity.

A: Another contemporary middle grade novel, this one set in Michigan. It'll be much more directly about being an Asian American kid growing up, as I did, in metro Detroit.

A: I produced a series of podcasts about the making of See You in the Cosmos, where I interviewed some of the people involved in turning the manuscript into a published book. If your readers are aspiring authors or just curious about the publishing side of things, I think they might find it interesting!

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Q: How did you come up with the idea for See You in the Cosmos, and for your main character, Alex? When I picked it up off the shelf, I remembered this episode of Radiolab I'd listened to years ago, in which Sagan's widow Ann Druyan talked about how they fell in love as they worked to gather sounds for the Voyager Golden Record.

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"jack cheng" "see you in the cosmos" author "middle grade"

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The official YouTube channel for me, Jack Cheng, author of See You in the Cosmos.

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See You in the Cosmos: Introduction and Chapter 1

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Jack Cheng is a Shanghai-born, Detroit-based author of critically acclaimed fiction for young readers. His debut middle grade/young adult novel, See You In The Cosmos , is winner of the 2017 Golden Kite and Great Lakes Great Reads awards. His forthcoming book is set simultaneously in present-day metro Detroit and 1960s Communist China. He has visited schools across the country to speak with students about finding their path as a writer and artist, and volunteers with 826michigan on in-class writing projects in Detroit Public Schools.

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Jack Cheng is a Shanghai-born, Detroit-based author of critically acclaimed fiction for young readers. His debut middle grade/young adult novel, See You In The Cosmos , is winner of the 2017 Golden Kite and Great Lakes Great Reads awards. His forthcoming book is set simultaneously in present-day metro Detroit and 1960s Communist China.

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See You in the Cosmos is Jack Cheng's first novel for young readers, though its powerful story will surely resonate with older readers as well. The book revolves around Alex Petroski, an 11-year-old boy who journeys from Colorado to New Mexico, and Las Vegas to L.A., recording his experiences on a golden iPod that he hopes to launch into space. Alex uncovers many secrets on his trip, all of which will change the course of his life. This witty, passionate, and sometimes heart-wrenching story imparts valuable lessons - that goodness can prevail even in the darkest of times and that strength can be found in unexpected places. See You in the Cosmos demonstrates the importance of unconditional love and forgiveness in an unfair world, and serves as a reminder to never lose hope.
We were thrilled to chat with Jack Cheng to get an inside look at the inspiration behind his newest novel, and to learn what enabled him to craft characters that carry such a compelling message. How were you able to so successfully capture the essence of an 11-year-old boy in your writing?
I take issue with books that don't respect a kid's intelligence, or that do the opposite - that make kids out to be the too precocious "wise child." To me, real kids are smart in unexpected ways; they're unintentionally profound. I think what also makes Alex sound authentic is his combination of bravado and naivety. He's super smart about certain subjects, and he's very confident in everything he knows (or thinks he knows), but there are also broad swaths of things he's totally clueless about. That's a good description of what I was like as an 11-year-old.
Where did you find inspiration for Alex, his family, and his friends?
I think of writing a novel as almost like experiencing a dream - it's hard to know beforehand who will appear in it. Sometimes a character, or a certain kind of character, will recur in my stories without me fully understanding why. It's only afterwards that I can go in and try to interpret the dream, and then I realize that, for instance, the way everything to Alex is either "good" or "SO good" comes from my Dad and from his more limited vocabulary as a non-native English speaker. That said, I firmly believe that fictional characters are as real as real people - they might remind you of someone you know, but they're still their own person.
Do you have a passion for space and rockets like Alex?
I appreciate space and rocketry, but I'm not quite as obsessed with it the way Alex is. When I was Alex's age I was interested in a lot of different things: baseball, art, computers, geography, Ninja Turtles... I will say that Alex and I share an enthusiasm for discovery, and we both have an openness to exploring new places. I've traveled quite a bit in my adult life - I've spent months in South America and Asia, and have been on road trips here in the U.S., including in the Southwest, where See You in the Cosmos takes place.
Do you personally believe in the goodness of people, including complete strangers?
I do. I think back to all the people who have helped me throughout the years - the teachers, mentors, friends, and even strangers - who seemed to come into my life or know exactly the right thing to say or do at the right time. I think we all have examples of people like that. And I think it's that very believing in the goodness of others that's important. Not only important, but essential. Our beliefs become our reality. When we operate from a place of fear and mistrust, we end up creating a society of fear and mistrust. And a society like that can't last.
What would you like to say to kids that are experiencing a tough time at home?
I'm so sorry. I know what you're going through can't be easy. Whenever I'm having a tough time with something, I find it helpful to talk to someone who has an outside perspective on whatever I'm struggling with - someone like a friend, a sibling, a parent, a teacher, or a coach. Sometimes they'll have already been through what I'm going through, and they'll help me understand what's happening, and what might be next. Other times it's good just to have someone who'll listen.
What are you hoping readers take away from this novel?
I'm hoping that readers will see that there doesn't always have to be a villain. That the characters who seem to be antagonists are just other human beings trying to do their best. That there are great possible adventures that don't involve battling an enemy or group of enemies. That the very fact that we're alive on this planet, together with other human beings, means that we're already on the greatest of adventures.
Born in Shanghai, Jack Cheng came to the U.S. when he was five, and grew up in metropolitan Detroit. After nearly a decade in New York City working in advertising and tech, he returned to Detroit to pursue new projects that integrate his professional experience with his passion for creativity and innovation. Visit him online at jackcheng.com and subscribe to "Sunday," his weekly letter on writing, creative work, and being a human.

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Journeys to Space and to Self: A Q&A with Author Jack Cheng | Brightly

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See You in the Cosmos is Jack Cheng's first novel for young readers, though its powerful story will surely resonate with older readers as well. The book revolves around Alex Petroski, an 11-year-old boy who journeys from Colorado to New Mexico, and Las Vegas to L.A., recording his experiences on a golden iPod that he hopes to launch into space.

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See You in the Cosmos is my first novel for young readers. It's about an eleven-year-old boy who's trying to launch his iPod into space. But it's also about road trips, families, and finding love and truth and courage in the universe. There's also a dog named Carl Sagan.

Jacket Art: Heads of State / Art Director: Jacqui McDonough

The book was published jointly in the spring of 2017 by Dial Books for Young Readers (US) and Puffin (UK). It's available now in translation from other publishers in over thirty countries. There's an audiobook, too, complete with sound design and an ensemble cast (it's great).

Out of all the things that early readers have said about the book, this, from Gary D. Schmidt, author of National Book Award finalist Okay for Now, is one of my favorites:

It is not always that we read a novel that so powerfully affirms our human capacity for grace and love and understanding; we need this book for the ways in which it gives us more to be human beings with.

Tools for being human! I really like that.

Podcast

If you're interested in a how See You in the Cosmos became a published book, you're in luck. I made a podcast about its making, in which I interviewed many of the people involved in the process.

Commonly Asked Questions

Here are some questions I often get asked about the book. If you have any others, don't hesitate email me. Even if you don't have any questions, and just want to share your experience reading the book, I'd be thrilled to hear from you. I especially love hearing from young readers!

What inspired you to write the book?

Here's what I said in an interview on the blog of the Michigan chapter of SCBWI (The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators):

I had the idea for the story when I was back at my parents' house over Thanksgiving, in 2012. I was hanging out in my younger brother's room and saw that he had a copy of Carl Sagan's Pale Blue Dot, and remembered an episode of the NPR show Radiolab that I'd heard years before, in which Sagan's widow Ann Druyan talked about how the two fell in love as they worked to gather sounds for the Voyager Golden Record. When I woke up the next morning, the basic premise just popped into my head: A boy and his dog; an iPod bound for space.

Will there be a sequel?

I'm not currently working on one, but maybe in the future. We'll see :)

Is there going to be a movie? I hope there's a movie.

I hope so too! I've been talking to producers and directors about it but that's still a long ways from it being a movie you can watch. If you work in film/television and are interested in rights, please contact my film agent, Mary Pender.

Do you do school visits?

Yup, including virtual visits. Educators can visit this page for info about the programs I am currently offering.

Do you have a dog?

I do! You can see a picture of him on my About page.

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See You in the Cosmos is my first novel for young readers. It's about an eleven-year-old boy who's trying to launch his iPod into space. But it's also about road trips, families, and finding love and truth and courage in the universe. There's also a dog named Carl Sagan.

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Does anyone have any ideas for the club name?

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Everyone must read between 5 and 10 chapters per day. This also means on weekends.