For thousands of years humanity has wondered what it was like on the moon. What was it like up there? What was it made of? Was it even possible to get there? For many, the moon was nothing more than a mystery, a big hunk of rock floating in the night sky, forever taunting them with secrets they could never uncover. For some, however, the moon wasn’t just some achievable target; it was a challenge, an ambition, something to not just sit there and wonder about, but rather just the first step in the exploration of a brand-new frontier! This is the story of the first successful flight to the moon, the rocket scientists who made the dream possible, and the idealistic president who believed in it. Sometimes it’s not enough to just aim for the sky; sometimes you just have to steel your nerves and shoot for the moon.
It was so interesting hearing about all the history and progress in rocket science that led up to the moon landing in 1969. You never hear about this kind of stuff in history class, but they’re still pretty important. People should be able to know and understand all the effort and resilience that is required for ground-breaking moments like America winning the space race to happen. I recommend this book to anybody who is a history lover or has a deep appreciation for the history of human innovation and progress like me.
My favorite thing about this book was the part where it talked about how rocket-based weapons research helped contribute to the invention of the manned rocket ship. It’s just a perfectly logical connection one wouldn’t normally make, you know?
Reviewed by Dahlia, Twin Hickory Library
HCPL TeenScene's Read + Review 