Look to the Stars

I was ten years old when Buzz Aldrin walked on the moon; my family, friends, and I all thought of him as a super-hero, and all these years later, I still do. The fact that he can write a more-than-decent book for children only magnifies that. This book is IT, as far as space non-fiction for the young reader! The illustrations are top-notch, and the text is clear, accurate, and attention-holding. REACHING FOR THE MOON is a favorite among young space enthusiasts; this one wil lplease those readers, and will draw in the uninitiated.

Fantastic, frank, candid! Buzz Aldrin demonstrates how different people can be, and how competence in many fields does not guarantee competence in all areas of life. He had his human struggles while being extemely competent technically and physically. He'd reached amazing milestones while still in his 30s (moon walker) and then had trouble making sense of the rest of his life. The story has a happy ending though (it's not over yet) and is worth your time for many reasons. I heard Buzz speak at a NASA sponsored event (2007 Regolith Excavation Challenge). He is 80 going on 20.

Buzz Aldrin grew up in a home surrounded by photographs and memorabilia from some of the most famous pilots in the world. This early environment along with his "dad's love of flying became [his] inspiration to look to the stars." When he was young, he wondered about the early stargazers and learned about such people as Copernicus, Galileo, Kepler and Isaac Newton. In this book, after this brief glance into the past, Aldrin jumps into the lives of the Wright brothers and Charles Lindbergh. Did you know that Neil Armstrong and Buzz actually took pieces of fabric from the Wright brother's plane to the moon? As you read, you will get a glimpse into the lives of Edwin Hubble, Robert Goddard, Charles Lindbergh, Wernher von Braun, Captain Chuck Yeager, Neil Armstrong and many other astronauts. The first satellite, the Sputnik, was the impetus for the race to space and prompted President Kennedy to asking the country to "commit itself to achieving the goal" of landing on the moon. Little did Buzz know that he would be one of the fortunate few to help attain that goal. With Project Apollo the dream would be realized. This book also discusses space probes and speculates about future manned missions. Perhaps even you will be able to "take a space `tour bus' or visit an Earth-orbiting `hotel!'" This is a much more technical and detailed look at space travel and its history than its counterpart for younger children, "Moonshot." The art work is dazzling and adds a lot to the text. There is an excellent two page spread of information on the Apollo Missions 7 to 17, including diagrams of the Saturn V rocket and the Apollo spacecraft. There is an awesome time line in the back of the book, selected sources and seventeen recommended websites. Young stargazers will want to add this collection . . . if they can get it out of the hands of the grownups!