  | Astronauts : women on the final frontier Author: Ottaviani, Jim | |
| Price: $24.48 | ||
Summary:
The U.S. may have put the first man on the moon, but it was the Soviet space program that made Valentina Tereshkova the first woman in space. It took years to catch up, but soon NASA's first female astronauts were racing past milestones of their own. They discovered that NASA had plenty to learn about how to make space travel possible for everyone. In graphic novel format.
| Illustrator: | Wicks, Maris |
| Accelerated Reader Information: Interest Level: MG Reading Level: 4.40 Points: 3.0 Quiz: 507209 |
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (+) (11/01/19)
School Library Journal (03/20/20)
The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (00/02/20)
The Hornbook (00/05/20)
Full Text Reviews:
Booklist - 01/01/2020 *Starred Review* Narrated in large part by Mary Cleave, who was among the second group of women admitted to NASA’s astronaut training program, this in-depth and enlightening comic digs into not only the history of women in space but the rigors of the training process in general. There’s a lot here, but Ottaviani and Wicks (Primates, 2013) handle it deftly, bringing humor and clarity to the density of the material. The sequence, for instance, in which Jerrie Cobb and Janey Hart testify in a congressional hearing about the importance of including women in the space program is cleverly intercut with scenes of Valentina Tereshkova preparing for her history-making spaceflight. Wicks makes great use of facial expressions—glib mockery from the U.S. senators, frustration on Cobb and Hart—to emphasize just what these women were up against. For all the trail-blazing, however, Ottaviani and Wicks emphasize above all else that the women in these programs are talented pilots and scientists, and they had essential work to do. Yes, some of that work was pushing back against sexist notions (jokes came in particularly handy here), but first, it was successfully operating a space shuttle. Gobs of humor, lively artwork, and tidy explanations of the science make this a standout among the vast field of books about the U.S. space program. - Copyright 2020 Booklist.
School Library Journal - 03/20/2020 Gr 4–7—Focusing on the space race through the eyes of the women who made it possible, Ottaviani and Wicks, the creative team behind Primates, return with another accurate, informative, people-focused historical account. Narrator Mary Cleave, a former American astronaut, introduces readers to influential women such as Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman in space; engineer Dottie Lee, who worked on the Apollo space shield; and aviator Jerrie Cobb, who, as part of the Mercury 13, endured the same physiological and psychological evaluation as astronauts aboard the Mercury Seven. The nonlinear storytelling can be challenging at times, as the plot leaps across years and countries with minimal flagging for the reader. The clever use of a faux Cyrillic font, however, makes it easy to tell when characters are Russian. The artwork is cartoonish and appealing. Though the book includes details that make the subject accessible (one scene discusses the number of tampons needed by female astronauts), technical complexity is never oversimplified. Readers will be intrigued and inspired to dive into further research to understand some of the jargon and learn more about the women profiled here. VERDICT Fans of Ottaviani's T-Minus: The Race to the Moon, as well as those interested in science or space travel, will eagerly gravitate to this title. A stellar addition to all collections.—Tammy Ivins, University of North Carolina at Wilmington - Copyright 2020 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.
