"Eleven-year-old Alex Petroski, along with his dog, Carl Sagan, makes big discoveries about his family on a road trip and he records it all on a golden iPod he intends to launch into space"--
"Sixth grader Andy Zhou grapples with fitting in, befriends a bully, drifts apart from his childhood best friend, and gets to know grandparents who have just moved from Shanghai to live with his family"--