“Sputnik’s Guide to Life on Earth” by Franck Cottrell Boyce is a captivating fictional chapter book about a boy named Prez and his life in Scotland. Prez is very quiet and doesn’t like to talk much. He lives with a sometimes forgetful grandfather, and sometimes his grandfather’s forgetfulness causes both of them to wind up separated. This story is about Prez’s adventure trying to get his grandfather back, and he also maybe needs to save the world from impending doom? He is not alone, because he has help from his new friend, Sputnik, a mysterious kilt-and-knit-sweater-wearing boy.

 

If you like books with characters who have the ability to manipulate space, time, and even matter itself, then this is the book for you. I liked this book because it just had so many interesting elements to it, and I also liked the parts when reality was tampered with, especially in fascinating ways. My favorite character is definitely Sputnik, because he finds normal things very interesting and amazing and silly. He likes to talk a lot, unlike Prez.

 

I would give this book a four and a half out of five stars, because it is a very good, grappling narrative, but it is not my favorite book ever in the eternity of the universe. It’s up there, though.

 

CONTENT WARNING: There are jailbreaks. There are also dog pounds. There is possible impending doom to all beings who live on earth. Those who are sensitive to those kinds of topics you will not enjoy this book. If you get emotional when someone has memory loss, you will not enjoy this book either.