   | Full Text Reviews: School Library Journal - 04/01/2013 Gr 4–6—Aimed at readers who will be part of the first generation of true space tourists, this breezy guide offers general advice about how to prepare for the trip, what to pack, what food and accommodations are going to be like, and suitable recreations both in Earth's orbit and on the Moon. Keeping the tone light, Goodman mentions hazards from vacuum to carbonated drinks (burping in microgravity brings up more than just CO2), intersperses her narrative with amusing or inspirational comments from astronauts and space scientists, and closes with leads to print and Web resources that are well chosen to turn armchair travelers into the other sort (when technology finally catches up with demand, that is). To the accompanying broad array of space and astronaut photos Slack adds goofy cartoon images of figures or spacecraft-sometimes actually within the photos themselves. Aside from an inaccurate claim that "most spacecrafts' engines work only in space," and a vague reference to the danger of an "occasional galactic ray," the information, some of which is drawn from talks with astronauts, reflects either actual conditions and experiences in space or credible speculations about the near future of recreational off-planet outings.—John Peters, Children's Literature Consultant, New York City - Copyright 2013 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Bulletin for the Center... - 09/01/2013 Children’s departments are, in general, amply supplied with books on how to become an astronaut NASA-style, and Goodman herself has contributed a title of this variety, Ultimate Field Trip 5: Blasting Off to Space Academy. With the possibility of space tourism on the horizon, it’s possible that kids will find extraterrestrial opportunities through pleasure-seeking vacations, not just scientific research. Goodman tailors this offering to just such future travelers, laying out not only how rockets and space suits and extra-vehicular sightseeing might work, but also considering realistic probabilities for moon accommodations, local transportation, “historical” sites, low gravity sports, even areas restricted “to preserve the moon’s natural beauty.” The speculations pack in the fun, but the science is serious, as Goodman makes it clear why soda isn’t a good idea in space, why you’re going to find better toilets on the moon than on your spacecraft, and why you’d better not have any strenuous activities planned for immediately after your return. Illustrations (full color to come) are an entertaining blend of astronaut and space photographs, many embellished with cartoon figures that reinterpret them as a tourist experience, such as the space-walking astronaut signaling a cartoon taxi. Index, quotation sources, glossary, timeline, and lists for further reading are included. EB - Copyright 2013 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. Loading...
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