Synopses & Reviews
A team of middle schoolers prepares for blastoff in this adventure from the author of the
New York Times bestselling
Mousetronaut, based on the childhoods of real-life astronauts Mark Kelly and his twin brother Scott.
Its a long, hot summer and Scott and Mark are in big trouble for taking apart (aka destroying) their dads calculator. As a punishment, theyre sent to their grandfathers house, where theres no TV and they have to do chores. And Grandpa is less tolerant of the twins constant bickering. “Why dont you two work together on something constructive. What if you built a go-kart or something?” Grandpa suggests.
But its not a go-kart the twins are interested in. They want to build a rocket. With the help of Jenny, nicknamed Egg, and a crew of can-do kids, they set out to build a real rocket that will blast off and orbit the Earth. The question soon becomes: which twin will get to be the astronaut?
Written by a NASA astronaut with four space flights under his belt, this exciting story includes extensive back matter on the space program with fantastic facts and details.
About the Author
Mark Kelly is a retired astronaut and US Navy Captain. He flew his first of four missions in 2001 aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour, the same space shuttle that he commanded on its final flight in May 2011.Martha Freeman is the author of twenty books for young readers of all ages, including The Year My Parents Ruined My Life, the Chickadee Court Mysteries, and the First Kid Mysteries. Who Stole Halloween? was on the Texas Bluebonnet Award Master List, and The Case of the Diamond Dog Collar was nominated for Indiana’s Young Hoosier Book Award. Her books have been translated into Turkish, Japanese, Portuguese, Italian, and French. She lives in Philadelphia, Pensyvania, and you can visit her at MarthaFreeman.com.