Endurance: My Year in Space and How I Got There

Gr 6 Up—Kelly spent a year in space onboard the International Space Station (ISS), but that is just one of his incredible achievements. Kelly and his twin brother Mark are both celebrated space travelers, but they did not journey the same path, and Kelly does a wonderful job of detailing his rockier start. Good grades and success seemed far away when he first picked up a copy of Tom Wolfe's The Right Stuff; Kelly was failing his premed classes and was directionless when he read Wolfe's account of the hardships early astronauts endured. The narrative details heartaches, tragedies, close calls, and his time onboard ISS. Kelly's story is relatable and the plot mostly focuses on showing young people the amount of hard work he had to do to achieve his dream, while simultaneously making sure readers understand that it's never too late to start a new path. Photos are included throughout.