  | Full Text Reviews: School Library Journal - 06/01/2019 Gr 2–5—As the Apollo 11 astronauts make their way to the moon, a young boy follows along with his own version of the mission activities at home. The unnamed, young narrator spends the majority of the book explaining concepts behind space travel such as thrust, telemetry, and orbit, and annotating the realistic illustrations and diagrams of the inner workings of the Saturn V rocket, service module Columbia, moon lander Eagle, and spacesuits. He also launches a water rocket (or air pressure rocket) with his younger brother, drinks Tang in his cardboard Columbia, lands a model moon lander by sliding it down a string, and jumps around his yard while practicing his "giant leaps." According to the author's note, this semi-autobiographical work is based on Gall's childhood fascination with the moon landing. His passion for the subject matter comes through in this detailed work. The imaginary celestial adventures of the narrator work as an effective mirror to the journey of the astronauts. As a resource for educators, its only downside is that no instructions are included for the plethora of tie-in activities. Back matter includes an author's note, fun facts, glossary, sources, and places to visit. VERDICT Recommended for science classes and school and public library collections.—Kacy Helwick, New Orleans Public Library - Copyright 2019 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Booklist - 06/01/2019 As the astronauts of the Apollo 11 mission prepare for their history-making flight, a young boy stands at his window, staring out at the moon. In the morning, his family watches the news closely while he sets up the designs for his own rocket ship. From there, the rockets take over: double spreads and single pages zoom in, diagramming the five engines needed to get to the moon, or out, comparing the size to the Statue of Liberty. The boy narrates as the astronauts begin their famous journey, while small panels at the foreground document his own day: he pumps his model rocket full of air, uses a wagon as a launchpad, and packs Tang for the journey. The large trim size places the focus on the richly colored illustrations, which chart and diagram each phase of the journey and return. This will appeal, predominately, to the space and tech obsessed, but as the fiftieth anniversary of the moon landing arrives, anyone looking to experience the excitement of that time will have an interest. - Copyright 2019 Booklist. Loading...
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