BookBait: Sputnik's Guide...

Sputnik's Guide to Life on Earth by Frank Cottrell Boyce

Reviewed by Liesl Toates

Prez Mellows was raised by his granddad who suffered from dementia, and told him all kinds of tales of sailing the seven seas. But as his dementia progressed, Granddad was taken away, and Prez sent to live with a foster family on a farm in the country. It is here that things get weird for Prez. An unexpected visitor shows up. Prez sees him as a small man in a space helmet, but everyone else only sees a dog. The man, who calls himself Sputnik, is here to make a list of the 10 things worth doing on Earth in order to save it from being destroyed.

This book is a hilarious and touching story aimed at middle schoolers. Which at times is a madcap romp through Earth and its wonders, and at others a sensitive portrait of a child dealing with the illness of a loved one. I read this book with my 11 year old daughter, but I have heard that the audio book, narrated by Peter Capaldi, is even better.