A delightful, laugh-out-loud comedy about space dogs and intergalactic guidebooks with a moving message about family at its core, Cottrell-Boyce's wonderful novel confirms him as one of our greatest natural storytellers.
Shortlisted for the 2017 Carnegie Medal and selected for the Tom Fletcher Book Club, Sputnik's Guide to Life on Earth by Frank Cottrell-Boyce is an adventure about the Blythes: a big, warm, rambunctious family who live on a small farm and sometimes foster children. Now Prez has come to live with them. But, though he seems cheerful and helpful, he never says a word.
Then one day Prez answers the door to someone claiming to be his relative. This small, loud stranger carries a backpack, walks with a swagger and goes by the name of Sputnik. The family all think Sputnik is a dog and chaos is unleashed as suddenly household items come to life – like a TV remote that fast-forwards people and a toy lightsaber that entertains guests at a children's party, until one of them is nearly decapitated by it – and Prez is going to have to use his voice to explain himself.
As Sputnik takes Prez on a journey to finish writing his guidebook to Earth called Ten Things Worth Doing on Earth, each adventure seems to take Prez nearer to the heart of the family he is being fostered by, but they also take him closer to the day that he is due to leave them forever . . .
This edition features fantastic cover artwork and black and white inside illustrations from the incredible Steven Lenton.
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
ISBN: 9781529008814
Number of pages: 352
Weight: 266 g
Dimensions: 197 x 130 x 21 mm
Full of heart and emotion that might just bring a tear to your eye. If it doesn’t though it’s still got lightsabers and alien space dogs. - Tom Fletcher, Tom Fletcher Book Club
Light-hearted and profound - Sunday Times Book of the Week
Wholly original and exceptionally funny - The Bookseller Book of the Month
a spiky, effervescent treat, like Spielberg's ET put in a blender with a bottle of Irn-Bru. - The Financial Times
A touching tale . . . told with wild humour and panache - Telegraph
A wonderful and exciting story about friendship and appreciating what you have. - Independent
whimsical, heart-wrenching and hilarious. - Scotsman
...classic Cottrell Boyce: zany, lay-out-loud funny and with a very strong emotional heart. - INIS reading guide
This is an out-of-this world adventure that is also a heartening story about the importance of friendship and family. - The Week Junior
Sure to be a hit with young enquiring minds, this is a tale which is heart-breaking and hilarious in equal measure. - The School Librarian
Will send your imagination into orbit! - Mr Ripley's Enchanted Books Blog
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