by Alicia Rudnicki, Library Mix

Cosmic, by Frank Cottrell
Walden Pond Press, 2008,
ISBN 0-061-83688-5
Available at Powell's Books

Sometimes a book sneaks up, taps the reader on the shoulder, and says “Aha!” One minute, you think that you are reading an outer space fantasy for kids; the next, you realize that it travels far beyond the universe of childhood.

As Father’s Day approached, I had no intention of writing anything about the holiday. The books I had found on that topic a year ago had been mostly sad and didn’t reflect the great dads I saw all around me.

But this week, I was, by chance, reading Frank Cottrell Boyce’s Cosmic, which its publisher has described as “ ‘Apollo 13’ meets ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.’”

Cosmic is an out-of-this-world romp for fathers to share with their children. It journeys through inner space as well as outer space as 12-year-old Liam reflects on all the fine “dadness” he has learned from his father.

Parenthood isn’t a typical concern for most 12-year-olds. However, Liam needs all the parenting wisdom he can recall since the maturity of his appearance has led him to commit what turns out to be a terrible blunder. Liam pretends to be the father of a 12-year-old friend so they can win an entertainment park contest.

As bad behavior goes, this is not so terrible. However, the entertainment park is in China far from their Liverpool suburb, and the thrill ride it promised is a trip into outer space.

In an interview with Walden Media, which plans to make Cosmic into a movie, Boyce acknowledges taking inspiration from Roald Dahl’s darkly humorous Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (better known as Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory). Similar to Dahl’s story, Cosmic involves dysfunctional parents pushing their children to win a contest.

Although far away, Liam's dad looms in his son's thoughts as a model of good fathering. Liam spends considerable time comparing his dad's behavior with that of the parents whose greed and thirst for fame is jet-propelling their children into an ill-advised trip with only one adult chaperone. Unfortunately, the children have selected as their chaperone the father who knows the least about science but who has won their vote with ice cream.

Although he is aware “that politeness is dadly and yelling is not,” Liam tries to avert takeoff by complaining loudly in a group meeting.

“How can we let our children go into space with a man who doesn’t even know that the moon has no innate luminescence? How can we let our children go into space at all?” he shouts. “Space isn’t safe. What kid of dad lets their child go into space?”

Boyce’s writing is spare, but the ideas are deep even if the language is simple. When Liam ends up being the dad who oversees the kid crew in space, he develops a strong sense of protectiveness for his shipmates.

In one moment of lovely prose, this new maturity causes Liam to stay awake while the others must snooze in sleeping bags attached to the wall.

“Hanging there, with their heads lolling, the children look like they’re sleeping in a row of Christmas stockings. And I’m the only one awake, like I’m Father Christmas or their guardian angel or something.”

Boyce was a successful screenwriter before becoming a children’s author. It was the director of the movie Millions who suggested that he turn his screenplay from that movie into a novel. The result was a 2004 Carnegie Medal for his first children’s book. Now Cosmic is on the shortlist for the 2009 Carnegie Medal, which will be announced this week.

Boyce works at home and has seven children, all of whom are home schooled. Good dad that he is, the author doesn’t complain about the clamor this creates during the workday. “Noise is creative!” he says.

Cosmic provides rich insights into many aspects of childhood from the lure of computer gaming to the loneliness of social awkwardness. Certainly, it is one of the most creative books I have read in recent months.

So blast off with the kids to your local library and pick up a copy of Cosmic for a joy ride you won't soon forget.