I have never been dazzled by books about space but this one compelled me to begin reading and keep reading to the end of the book. It begins with The Dream . . . And the Challenge. While this could be a dry read it is hard to pass up introductory titles: Beyond Imagination, In the Beginning, Moving Forward, And Onward, and Upward. The writer engages readers with phrases such as mind-boggling, this defining moment, something so out-of-this-world big. There are short but punchy quotations throughout the book. Try this one for thinking about the magnitude of consequence for our first Apollo moonwalkers: “Fate has ordained that the men who went to the moon to explore in peace will stay on the moon to rest in peace. . . . .These brave men know that there is no hope for their recovery. But they also know there is hope for mankind in their sacrifice.” These ominous words were never spoken but were penned in top secret for President Nixon. The story of Apollo 11 is told through actual photographs, insets, astronaut quotes, and compelling narrative writing. In succinct chapters the eight challenges are described using technical information in a reader-friendly narrative. The back matter includes photographs and quotes from a number of the 400,000 people who not only put Apollo on the moon but brought it back to earth. There are source notes (the author interviewed 15 of the 400,000), chapter notes, additional sources consulted, numerous acknowledgements to experts, photo credits, an index, and a glossary.
Catherine Thimmesh is an avid space enthusiast (every day and all day long she wishes she could go to the moon)and has made plan to take a tourist shuttle to space in what she believes is the not-so-distant future. When researching this book she began to develop a grudge against her parents for waiting so long to bring her into the world that she missed the whole Apollo 11 drama. I was first introduced to Thimmesh when I read Girls Think of Everything: Stories of Ingenious Inventions by Women. Thimmesh is a writer who provides inspiration but writes like one who is an expert on her topic. On her website FAQ she shares that she writes nonfiction because she’s curious and finds the world to be utterly fascinating. It seems she is an adventure junkie—who else would take lessons on the flying trapeze? Or become semi-hysterical when seeing humpback whales breeching outside her balcony in Hawaii? Or what about this—she loves office supplies. Now go find the adventure in that.
Teaching Points: I think it would be an amazing experience to explore this book and the Apollo 11 mission with a group of 6th-8th graders. We would explore how Thimmesh lived like a writer while researching this book, what she does as a writer to maintain a tone of expectancy and breathless wonder throughout the book, how she integrates primary source material seamlessly into her writing, and what makes this information credible. We would attend to the amazing facts of space exploration and have many grand conversations centered on courage, persistence, problem-solving, and collaboration. We would learn to read like historians, attending to context, source notes, and primary source documentation. Finally, we would look at other books Thimmesh has authored and choose which ones to include in our classroom library.
Pathways Theme: Yesterday
Orbis Pictus Honor Book and Winner of the Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award
Reviewed by Krystal Bishop, EdD
Professor of Education
Southern Adventist University
