Go for the Moon: A Rocket, a Boy, and the First Moon Landing

Gr 2-5–As the Apollo 11 astronauts make their way to the moon, a young boy follows along with his own version of the mission activities at home. The unnamed, young narrator spends the majority of the book explaining concepts behind space travel such as thrust, telemetry, and orbit, and annotating the realistic illustrations and diagrams of the inner workings of the Saturn V rocket, service module Columbia, moon lander Eagle, and spacesuits. He also launches a water rocket (or air pressure rocket) with his younger brother, drinks Tang in his cardboard Columbia, lands a model moon lander by sliding it down a string, and jumps around his yard while practicing his “giant leaps.” According to the author’s note, this semi-autobiographical work is based on Gall’s childhood fascination with the moon landing. His passion for the subject matter comes through in this detailed work. The imaginary celestial adventures of the narrator work as an effective mirror to the journey of the astronauts. As a resource for educators, its only downside is that no instructions are included for the plethora of tie-in activities. Back matter includes an author’s note, fun facts, glossary, sources, and places to visit.