While everyone else in my state was glued to the television or stampeding Grant Park, I spent election night reading Cosmic.Don't get me wrong. I'm far from politically insouciant. But "what is decreed must be," and if there's one author who can free you from a world of care, it's Boyce.
Liam is too big for his boots, his football strip, and his school blazer. But being super-sized height-wise has its advantages: he's the only eleven-year-old to ever ride the G-force defying Cosmic rollercoaster or be offered the chance to drive a Porsche. Long-legged Liam makes a giant leap for boy-kind by competing with a group of adults for the chance to go into space. Is Liam the best boy for the job? Sometimes being big isn't all about being a grown-up.
The story put me in the mood of Roald Dahl. Most people would say that his Charlie books are classics, never to be one-upped, but I think Boyce has done just that. Cosmic delights in your willing suspension of disbelief--it's crammed with delicious wryness, suchthebest cast, gorgeous dialogue!! and bucket after bucket of deep-belly laughter.
Reading Boyce doesn't just effect your brain--it shows up on your face. My mom walked by as I sat reading. She laughed and shook her head. "It's so funny to watch you read that book."
Liam adores thrill rides, and I think they provide the perfect analogy for Cosmic: you wait and wait in queue, listening to everyone talk about how amazing the ride is, not completely convinced it can be that brilliant but willing to give it a go. So they finally pull back the tape, and you buckle yourself in, and the next minute, there's only one thought left in your head: THIS IS TOTALLY COSMIC!
4 comments:
One-upped Dahl? I've got to read this.
Yeah, that was pretty bold, wasn't it?
But Boyce goes deeper with his characters, to a level that Dahl doesn't attempt. I mean, I love Charlie, but you can only take so many vermicious knids before you wish for a bit more depth. So in my book, it's a stronger novel.
This one is one of the nominees for the Cybils--Middle Grade FIction. I'm looking forward to reading it. I could use a bit of humor and whimsy in my life about now.
I've only just now read Cosmic, and it does seem so similar to a book Roald Dahl might have written! I can definitely see the similarities between Cosmic and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Dr. Drax and Willy Wonka would either end up being best friends or competitive enemies.
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