Liam has always felt a bit like he’s stuck between two worlds. This is primarily because he’s a twelve-year-old kid who looks like he’s about thirty. Sometimes it’s not so bad, like when his new principal mistakes him for a teacher on the first day of school or when he convinces a car dealer to let him take a Porsche out on a test drive. But mostly it’s just frustrating, being a kid trapped in an adult world. And so he decides to flip things around. Liam cons his way onto the first spaceship to take civilians into space, a special flight for a group of kids and an adult chaperone, and he is going as the adult chaperone. It’s not long before Liam, along with his friends, is stuck between two worlds again—only this time he’s 239,000 miles from home.

Frank Cottrell Boyce, author of Millions and Framed, brings us a funny and touching story of the many ways in which grown-upness is truly wasted on grown-ups.

“Cosmic” is on the shortlist for the U.K. Carnegie Award and is the latest release from Walden Pond Press, a joint venture of Walden Media and HarperCollins.

Besides publishing books for young readers, Walden Pond is set up to pair book properties with filmmakers and actors. It also collaborates on development and production of features.

“In short, the story is ‘Apollo 13′ meets ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,’ so it makes sense that ‘Cosmic’s’ out-of-this-world adventure would include a journey to the movie theater,” said Francis X. Flaherty Jr., publisher of Walden Pond.

Walden’s Evan Turner will oversee the project with Walden topper Michael Bostick.

Cosmic by Frank Cottrell Boyce

Liam has always felt a bit like he’s stuck between two worlds. This is primarily because he’s a twelve-year-old kid who looks like he’s about thirty. Sometimes it’s not so bad, like when his new principal mistakes him for a teacher on the first day of school or when he convinces a car dealer to let him take a Porsche out on a test drive. But mostly it’s just frustrating, being a kid trapped in an adult world. And so he decides to flip things around. Liam cons his way onto the first spaceship to take civilians into space, a special flight for a group of kids and an adult chaperone, and he is going as the adult chaperone. It’s not long before Liam, along with his friends, is stuck between two worlds again—only this time he’s 239,000 miles from home.

Frank Cottrell Boyce, author of Millions and Framed, brings us a funny and touching story of the many ways in which grown-upness is truly wasted on grown-ups.

Walden Pond Press, an imprint of HarperCollins Children’s books and Space Center Houston today announced the launch of a national sweepstakes in which a family of four will be selected to go on a Completely Cosmic, VIP Behind the Scenes Access Tour of NASA and SPACE CENTER HOUSTON. The event marks the publication of COSMIC, a hilarious story about a 12-year-old boy who cons his way into the first civilian-manned mission to space and goes on the thrill ride of his life. Written by Frank Cottrell Boyce, the best-selling author of Framed and Millions, this touchingly classic story about finding a place where you belong will be available wherever books are sold beginning January 19, 2010. Sweepstakes entries will be accepted from then until February 23, 2010 at www.harpercollinschildrens.com.

Designed to spark the imagination of children who may someday be future astronauts and explorers in space, the winners will receive an unforgettable interactive family experience as their personal guide escorts them on an exclusive two-day behind the scenes tour to see the real world of NASA at work.

“SPACE CENTER HOUSTON, the official visitor center for NASA Johnson Space Center, has designed a thrilling trip that will give a family a once-in-a-lifetime experience that calls to mind the great adventure in Boyce’s phenomenal new book COSMIC,” said Francis X. Flaherty, Jr., Publisher, Walden Pond Press.

Space Center Houston’s Director of Education, Dr. Melanie Johnson said, “Space Center Houston is a natural education arena to experience the excitement of Science Technology, Engineering and Mathematic (STEM) disciplines.”

During the tour, guests will walk in the footsteps of America’s astronaut heroes from the Apollo missions to today’s Space Shuttle astronauts and scientists. Family members will be immersed in a fascinating exploration of SPACE CENTER HOUSTON and NASA that is scheduled to include a tour of the astronaut cafeteria, space vehicle mock-up facility, new mission control center, historic mission control center, and other unique space environment training facilities, simulators, and research laboratories.

“Boyce captures the excitement of going into space,” said Diane Naughton Vice President of Marketing for HarperCollins Children’s Books. “With the NASA collaboration we’ve created a platform that allows us to share the thrill of space exploration with young readers everywhere.”

The tour includes hotel lodging and airfare to Houston. For complete entry details visit www.harpercollinschildrens.com.

About Space Center Houston the official visitor center for Johnson Space Center

Averaging approximately 750,000 domestic visitors each year, Space Center Houston is the gateway to NASA’s Johnson Space Center. Its mission is to serve as a world-class attraction dedicated to inspiring, entertaining and educating every generation about space exploration and its benefits to humankind. Space Center Houston has entertained and informed more than 12 million star-struck guests from every corner of the globe. The center features a multitude of permanent displays, attractions and theatres, specializing in space exploration. In addition, the 183,000-square-foot intelligent-fun complex presents an amazing array of traveling exhibits and remarkable events. Visitors can also experience a “behind-the-scenes” look at JSC and the American space program on one of the tram tours offered at the complex. www.spacecenter.org

About Frank Cottrell Boyce and COSMIC

Cosmic, the third novel by best-selling author and screenwriter Frank Cottrell Boyce, was shortlisted for the prestigious UK Carnegie Award. Boyce’s debut novel, Millions, a New York Times best-seller and Carnegie Award winner was brought to the big screen in a 2004 film of the same name directed by Academy Award winner Danny Boyle.

In this middle grade fiction novel, we meet Liam who has always felt a bit like he’s stuck between two worlds. This is primarily due to the fact that he’s a twelve-year-old who looks like he’s about thirty. Sometimes it’s not so bad, like when his new principal mistakes him for a teacher on the first day of school, or when he convinces a car dealer to let him take a Porsche out on a test drive. But mostly, being a kid trapped in an adult world is just frustrating. And so Liam decides to flip things around–he cons his way onto the first spaceship to take civilians into space. It’s a special flight, for a group of kids and one adult chaperone, and Liam is going as the adult chaperone. It’s not long before Liam, along with his friends, is stuck between two worlds again – only this time he’s 239,000 miles from home.

About Walden Pond Press

Walden Pond Press is dedicated to inspiring children to ready by identifying and publishing the next generation of children’s classics. Walden Pond Press is a strategic partnership between HarperCollins and Walden Media, LLC, and it is Walden Media’s first dedicated publishing imprint. The joint venture follows a longstanding promotional partnership between Walden Media and HarperCollins supporting literacy, featuring such properties as The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, Bridge to Terabithia and Charlotte’s Web that have been published by HarperCollins and adapted for the big screen by Walden Media. . Upcoming Walden Media films include “Tooth Fairy” starring Dwayne Johnson, “Ramona & Beezus” starting Selena Gomez and the third installment in the Chronicles of Narnia series, “The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.”Walden Pond Press is dedicated to inspiring children to ready by identifying and publishing the next generation of children’s classics. www.walden.com

About Walden Media LLC

Walden Media specializes in entertainment for the whole family. Past award-winning films include: “The Chronicles of Narnia” series, “Journey to the Center of the Earth,” “Nim’s Island” and “Charlotte’s Web.” Upcoming films include “Tooth Fairy” starring Dwayne Johnson, “Ramona & Beezus” starring Selena Gomez and the third installment in the Narnia series: “The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.” www.walden.com

About HarperCollins Children’s Books

HarperCollins Children’s Books is one of the leading publishers of children’s books. Respected worldwide for its tradition of publishing quality, award-winning books for young readers, HarperCollins is home to many timeless treasures–Charlotte’s Web, The Chronicles of Narnia, Goodnight Moon, Where the Sidewalk Ends and Where the Wild Things Are; and popular new classics–A Series of Unfortunate Events, Warriors and Fancy Nancy. HarperCollins Children’s Books is a division of HarperCollins Publishers, one of the leading English language publishers in the world and a subsidiary of News Corporation (NYSE: NWS, NWS.A; ASX: NCP, NCPDP). Headquartered in New York, HarperCollins has publishing groups in the U.S., Canada, the U.K. and Australasia. You can visit HarperCollins Children’s Books at www.harpercollinschildrens.com and HarperCollins Publishers at www.harpercollins.com

COSMIC

By Frank Cottrell Boyce
Walden Pond Press, an imprint of HarperCollins Children’s Books
$16.99 Tr: 9780061836831
Ages: 8 – 12 / January 19, 2010
www.harpercollinschildrens.com

NASA and Walden Media launched the exclusive Totally Cosmic Adventure at NASA Sweepstakes. The two-day, behind-the-scenes tour of NASA coincides with the launch of Cosmic, an “out of this world adventure novel by Frank Cottrell Boyce.

The winning family will get a VIP tour of Space Center Houston, including the astronaut training areas, the astronaut cafeteria, space vehicle mock-up facility, new mission control center, historic mission control center and other unique space environment training facilities, simulators and research laboratories.

Sweepstakes entries will be accepted from January through February 23, 2010, at the HarperCollins Children’s Books website.

School Library Journal’s awesome blogger, Elizabeth Bird (a.k.a. Fuse #8) attended the HarperCollins Spring 2010 Librarian Preview recently and posted about all the books she saw.  Bird writes of the book at the librarian preview:

“And then we got down to what exactly Walden Pond Press is.  It’s the newest Harper Collins imprint, and it does have ties to Walden Media (the folks who created the new Narnia films and all).  However, this imprint is separate from the studio and they simply produce the kinds of books that would adapt to film easily.  Hm.

Of course Frank Cottrell Boyce is no stranger to the cinematic world.  If you’ll recall the book Millions was filmed in tandem with its publication.  Now he has a new book out called Cosmic.  I know two people who have read it so far, and the way they talk you’d think it was the next Holes.  A Carnegie Medal winner, the book is about a boy who looks 30 and cons his way into a visit to space.  Believe you me, it’s one of the first 2010 books I’ll be reading.”