Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream

Title:  Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream
Author:  Tanya Lee Stone
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Paperback: 144 pages
Publisher: Candlewick (February 24, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0763645028
ASIN: B004AYCXCK

Synopsis: When male pilots began training for the fledgling NASA in 1958 in the hopes of becoming the nation's first men to orbit the earth, the nation could not fathom the idea of women ever becoming astronauts. But Randy Lovelace, chairman of NASA's Life Sciences Committee, felt that women were just as (if not more) capable as men to be astronauts. Without approval, Lovelace began testing women pilots to see if they could withstand the rigors of the astronaut training. In fact, he put them through tests even more intensive than those the men faced, just to prove the women were resilient enough to handle the demands of being astronauts. In many cases, the women did better than the men, with 13 women making "the cut." Sadly, the attitude of sexism in America at the time doomed the womens' dreams to failure, leaving them as only a footnote in the history of America's space program.

Review: This book is very well written and presents the story of the "Mercury 13" in an entertaining narrative that will appeal to readers. The book is highly accurrate, well designed and organized to flow well and tell the story succinctly, and the author's distinct voice is clearly heard while one reads the story. The author's sense of outrage at the blatant sexism of the time can be clearly felt by the reader. My only caution to the reader is that they not see all the character's in history in this book through the lenses of modern policy, and instead view their actions in light of the times in which they occurred. This does not make what happened any easier to stomach, but it does serve to help one see their actions in the broader framework of the times in which they lived.

Awards/Reviews:

2010 Robert F. Sibert Medal Award
YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Award
Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor

NCTE Orbis Pictus Honor Book

Bank Street Flora Stieglitz Straus Award 

An Outstanding Science Trade Book

CCBC Choices 2010

Kirkus Best YA Books of 2009

Notable Social Studies Trade Book

Horn Book Fanfare

Amelia Bloomer List

Richie's Picks

Chicago Best of the Best Books

Smithsonian Magazine Best Books of 2009

ALA Notable

Best Books for Young Adults (BBYA)

National Science Teachers Association Recommended Book

"This passionately written account of a classic but little-known challenge to established gender prejudices also introduces readers to a select group of courageous, independent women." - School Library Journal, starred review

"The chatty, immediate style (“Picture this”) and full-page photos make for a fast read, and the crucial civil-rights history will stay with readers. The long, spacious back matter is part of the story, with detailed chapter notes and a bibliography." - Booklist

"(A) fascinating, dramatic story...the author offers great insight into how deeply ingrained sexism was in American society...this empowering, impassioned story will leave readers inspired." - Kirkus Reviews, starred review

Connections:

Before even showing the students the book, the teacher should conduct the pre-reading exercise outlined in http://www.tanyastone.com/assets/files/AA%20Reading%20Guide.pdf. Ask the students in the class to draw or write a description of what they think an astronaut looks like. When the students are done, go around the room and look at all their drawings/descriptions. Make a chart of how many showed/described astronauts as women and how many as men. Introduce the book.

Teachers should pass out graphic organizer worksheets to the students before they begin reading the book to help them chart the obstacles to women in space during the 1950s and 1960s.

After reading the book, have students write a letter to then-Vice-President Johnson expressing their opinion of what happened to the "Mercury 13."

The Great and Only Barnum: The Tremendous, Stupendous Life of Showman P.T. Barnum

Author:  Candace Fleming

Reading level: Ages 9-12
Hardcover: 160 pages
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade (September 8, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0375841970
ASIN: B004NSVEQE

Synopsis: The story of how Phineas Taylor "Tale" Barnum became P.T. Barnum, purveyor and exhibitioner of oddities and animals, and father of "The Greatest Show on Earth!"

Review: I loved this book; in fact, once I started reading it I could not put it down. It offers readers a fascinating look of how a shopkeeper turned himself into a "showman" known the world over.  Candace Fleming has organized the text brilliantly into chunks of information easy for children of all ages to digest, with clever sidebars containing information on Barnum's family, life and career, often in his own words. The information is well-documented, yet the story flows well and reads more like a story than a series of facts.

Awards/Reviews:

YALSA-ALA Excellence in Young Adult Non-Fiction Finalist
WINNER 2009 Kirkus Reviews Best Young Adult Books
WINNER 2009 Publishers Weekly Best Children's Book of the YearWINNER 2010 ALA Notable Children's BookWINNER 2010 ALA Best Books for Young AdultsWINNER 2010 Cooperative Children's Book Center ChoicesNOMINEE 2011 Tennessee Volunteer State Book Master ListSUBMITTED Junior Library Guild Selection
“The material is inherently juicy, but credit Fleming’s vivacious prose, bountiful period illustrations, and copious source notes for fashioning a full picture of one of the forbearers of modern celebrity.” - Booklist, starred review

"Audiences will step right up to this illuminating and thorough portrait of an entertainment legend" - Publishers Weekly
"An outstanding choice for all middle level and secondary collections." - School Library Journal

Connections:

Have students draw or write a description of what they'd include in a circus if they were P.T. Barnum. To incorporate multi-disciplinary subjects, tally up the animals/acts that students would use, then determine percentages of students who would have included each item.

Use the sidebar item "No Black People" on pp. 39 to launch a discussion on the Civil War (still ~15 years away when this item was published in the newspaper). Also discuss the Civil Rights movement to illustrate how little attitudes had changed in the 100 years between when the newspaper item was published and when the Civil Rights Act was passed.

Saving the Ghost of the Mountain: An Expedition Among Snow Leopards in Mongolia

Title:  Saving the Ghost of the Mountain: An Expedition Among Snow Leopards in Mongolia
Author:  Sy Montgomery
Photographer:  Nic Bishop
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Hardcover: 80 pages
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children (August 17, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 9780618916450
ISBN-13: 978-0618916450

Synopsis: Tom McCarthy, conservation director of the Snow Leopard Trust, returns to Mongolia to see if he can accurately count and see just how many snow leopards are still living in Mongolia. The journey itself is arduous - most of the "roads" leading to the remote regions where snow leopards live are unpaved, and have little to differentiate them from the area around them. Once McCarthy and his team are up in the mountains, their tasks becomes even more perilous, as they will have to scale steep mountains and ridges in the hopes of seeing any snow leopards - a sighting that is rare. In addition to facts about their trip, the book includes interesting facts about Mongolia and chronicles how McCarthy came to work to save these endangered animals, including changing perceptions of the very people who hunted these animals to the brink of extinction.

Review: This book offers a fascinating insider's view of McCarthy's work, including anecdotes from McCarthy and the author and photographer themselves about their journey up and down the mountains of Mongolia in search of this big cat. The book is engrossing not only to those who are animal lovers, but also for those interested in learning more about the culture and geography of Mongolia.  Sy Montgomery relates McCarthy's work in an engaging style that hardly feels like non-fiction and instead feels like a well-written storybook.  Interesting facts about Mongolia's people, other wildlife, history and culture immerse the reader in the country's rich history. A nice bonus is the afterwords by the author and photographer telling of their own personal experiences leading up to and on this particular assignment.

Awards/Reviews:

Named one of the Best Books of 2009 by School Library Journal

One of Booklist’s Top 10 Environmental Titles for Youth published in 2009

Selected as an Outstanding Science Trade Book for students K-12 for 2010 by NSTA/Children’s Book Council

A Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Books of 2009

A Junior Library Guild Selection

"Reading this book is an extraordinary experience. It has an elegant layout featuring ornamental lettering, watermarks, and gorgeous photos; were it not for the delightfully exuberant text, it would be a stately coffee table book. But kids will giggle about the central role of scat or, as Montgomery often writes, "poo," in the research of snow leopards' habits." - School Library Journal, starred review

“It’s no easy feat to write a book about one of the most charismatic yet notoriously elusive creatures on the planet without a single sighting, but Sy Montgomery pulls it off with style." - Kirkus Reviews

Connections:

Go online to http://www.authorwire.com/s/sl_fieldjournal.html and read Sy Montgomery's field journal of what occurred while she and Nic Bishop were on the expedition to Mongolia.

Complete the author's suggested map activity (http://www.authorwire.com/s/downloads/MongolianAdventureMapSkills.pdf) with the class. See who can rack up the most points!

Read about some Mongolian ettiquette rules the author and photographer had to learn before visiting the homes of their hosts.  The teacher can also make Buuz for students to sample (check for food allergies first!)  http://www.authorwire.com/s/sl_makeBuuz.html