I was pleasantly surprised by this book! The story of 13 women who tried to become astronauts in 1958. It provides an excellent look at women in STEM and a dose of inspiration. This book is aimed at middle and high school aged readers, and Tanya Lee Stone doesn't forget the age of the reader while she writes, keeping the vocabulary and structure on level.Ī winner of multiple awards, including the Sibert Medal and the Jane Addams Book Award, Almost Astronauts is a must have for middle school libraries and public libraries. The author also uses relatively short chapters to keep the interest of the reader.

The writing itself is engaging and fast paced. This divides up the reading and makes it feel less challenging for reluctant readers. The book includes photos and cartoons of the time interspersed with the text. Their willingness to forge ahead despite the odds inspires readers to move forward on their dreams, even if they are a long shot.

These are women who were already forging careers in the highly male field of aviation and who were excellent at their job. Despite having candidates that out-performed the male team, these women were not allowed to join NASA.īy using interviews and articles of the time, Almost Astronauts not only provides inspiring examples of talented women, but also introduces the reader to the unequal situation women were in not so long ago. Almost Astronauts brings to light the story of the first set of women tested to the NASA standards of the day.

Almost astronauts by tanya lee stone