David Getz

Eight-year-old Maxine’s art project is an assignment to look at her home in a new way and to draw what she sees. So she travels to Kennedy Space Center in Florida where she rides on a space shuttle to draw her picture . . . and makes an amazing discovery.

Young readers will find Maxine’s journey entertaining as they learn some basic facts about space travel. There’s a great deal of space science information packed into Maxine’s story, making it perfect for readers interested in astronauts, space travel, and science. Colorful illustrations support the informative text.

Recommended.… (meer)

I read the original edition of this book, published in 1997, which predates the Pathfinder/Sojourner landing by a couple of years. This means that its most up-to-date close-range information is from the Viking lander in the 70s and from the then recently discovered Martian meteorite, ALH 84001, or rather, found in 84, but discovered to be of Martian origin only in 95 or thereabouts.

It's a fun little book. The front cover makes it look like it must be large format, but it has roughly the same area, although not quite the same aspect ratio, as your average hardback novel. Suitable for older children or young adults, the 74 page book is divided into about 10 chapters. It is well bound, with glossy paper, and illustrated by original black-and-white photographs as well as soft black-and-white artists renditions by Peter McCarty. The narrative is partly in the second person, addressed to an imagined Martian astronaut, and partly in the third person. The sentences are short and use simple words; they employ effective metaphors for their discussions of the atmosphere on Mars and the dangers of space travel. Much better than many of its kind.

Interesting words and phrases: Hohmann transfer, launch window (generally known), entry-mass spectrometer (unknown), galactic rays (cosmic rays from outside the solar system), solar flares.… (meer)