Bound To Stay Bound

Booklist - 06/01/2019 A graduate of West Point and an air force fighter pilot and test pilot, Michael Collins joined NASA’s third group of astronauts in 1963. In the Gemini 10 flight, he completed a space walk between two moving spacecraft. His next mission would take him into lunar orbit. Why does the subtitle refer to Collins as a “forgotten astronaut?” While television broadcasts showed his Apollo 11 crewmates, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, walking on the moon and speaking to people on earth, Collins was in the orbiting Columbia spacecraft, which would take them all home. Drawing from Collins’ books as well as other biographies and interviews, Buckley puts together an interesting account of the man’s life, emphasizing his work as an astronaut. While the writer imagines how alone Collins might have felt when circling the moon, he also acknowledges the astronaut’s own statement that, “far from feeling lonely,” he felt “very much a part” of events on the moon’s surface. From the Discovering History’s Heroes series, here’s a timely introduction to a significant astronaut. - Copyright 2019 Booklist.

School Library Journal - 08/01/2019 Gr 3–5—Unless you are a serious NASA enthusiast, the name Michael Collins might be hard to place—and that is why his story fits so well in the "Discovering History's Heroes" series. The author deftly describes the path of Collins from growing up on army bases and building model planes to traveling to the moon as part of Apollo 11. Readers may be amazed to learn about all the preparation that NASA required of its astronauts, including jungle survival training in Panama. Along with a thorough look at the career of Collins, there are also background details such as how the names were chosen for the NASA programs or how the U.S. Navy helped to recover space capsules when they returned to Earth. Endnotes and a bibliography offer readers a place to start their own exploration into the life of Michael Collins. VERDICT What truly brings this historical figure to life is the use of quotations from Collins's own writing. An excellent addition to biography collections, with ties to STEM, U.S. history, and character education.—Suzanne Costner, Fairview Elementary School, Maryville, TN - Copyright 2019 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.