Book Review: To The Stars!

TO THE STARS! by Carmella Van Vleet and Kathy Sullivan tells the true story of the first American woman to walk in space.

This fascinating, picture book biography features Sullivan’s childhood dream of becoming a world traveler and her teenaged ambition to become a pilot. Woven into the story are flashes to the future showing the outcome of Sullivan’s childhood aspirations.

The book concludes with a note from Sullivan and a more detailed biography. Short descriptions of other famous women involved with the space program are also provided.

Nicole Wong’s accurate and appealing illustrations add interest to the story. The large, easy-to-read font will appeal to both students and teachers.

Librarians will find this inspirational biography a welcome addition to their nonfiction, picture book collections.

To learn more about the author, go to http://www.carmellavanvleet.com/.

To learn more about Kathryn Sullivan, go to http://www.noaa.gov/sullivan.html.

Published by Charlesbridge on January 5, 2016. ARC courtesy of the publisher.

Book Review: Sally Ride: A Photobiography of America's Pioneering Woman in Space

SALLY RIDE: A PHOTOBIOGRAPHY OF AMERICA’S PIONEERING WOMAN IN SPACE by Tam O’Shaughnessy tells the inspiring story of a scientist and astronaut who advocated for space exploration and science education.

Written by Sally’s long-time partner Tam O’Shaughnessy’s, this visually-rich photobiography is filled with personal photographs and artifacts including school papers, ticket stubs, letters, and receipts that provide intimate insights into the life of this very private person. What makes this work particularly appealing and unique is the way the author weaves in her own thoughts and memories of Sally throughout the narrative.

Although Sally Ride was best known as a space shuttle astronaut, this middle-grade biography explores the entire life of this famous woman. Unlike most works of nonfiction, this book doesn’t start with a Table of Contents. Instead, it begins with a prologue sharing the story of how Sally and Tam met. The book is divided into sections focusing on Sally’s early childhood, her tween and teen years, her college years, her time as an astronaut, and her life as an advocate for science education. The book concludes with a cast of characters, timeline, and index.

Librarians will find this to be a popular biography. It’s easy-to-read and highly illustrated making it particularly useful for reluctant readers. Unlike many biographies that examine a famous person at a distance, this book provides a very personal look at this private person. The author does a stellar job addressing Sally’s love-life using an age-appropriate approach. Although Sally will likely be known for her ground-breaking firsts as both a female and lesbian astronaut, the book focuses on her life rather than these labels.

It can be difficult to find engaging biographies for the middle grades. Look for this work of nonfiction on the best of 2015 lists!

Published by Roaring Brook Press an imprint of Macmillan on October 6, 2015.

Book Review: Welcome to Mars

WELCOME TO MARS: MAKING A HOME ON THE RED PLANET by Buzz Aldrin and Marianne Dyson takes an amazing look at the near-future reality of a human colony on Mars.

Readers are invited to become Martian pioneers as they work their way the information they’ll need to journey to Mars and build a permanent home.

This visually-rich, well-organized book includes short chapters dealing with key issues related to space travel and the colonization of Mars. Numerous fun activities, author side-bars, interesting fact boxes, stunning photographs, detailed illustrations, intriguing diagrams and primary source documents add to the appeal. A timelines and map of Mars are particularly interesting. The book concludes with book and website lists, a glossary, credits, and an index.

Librarians will find an eager audience for this timely work of nonfiction. With movie The Martian coming out in October, the book is sure to be a hit. Plan an event around this interest in Mars. Pair the book with the many NASA websites featuring information about Mars.

To learn more about Buzz Aldrin, go to http://buzzaldrin.com/.
To learn more about co-author Marianne Dyson, go to http://www.mariannedyson.com/.

Published by National Geographic Children’s Books on September 1, 2015.