Chasing Space: Young Readers' Edition
by Leland Melvin (Author)
"In Chasing Space, Leland Melvin tackles stupendous obstacles with dogged determination, showing you what is indeed possible in life--if you believe." --Neil deGrasse Tyson, author of Astrophysics for People in a Hurry and Welcome to the Universe.
This middle grade book is an excellent choice for tween readers in grades 5 to 6, especially during homeschooling. It's a fun way to keep your child entertained and engaged while not in the classroom.
Winner of the 2019 Grand Canyon Reader Award for Tween Non-Fiction
Meet Leland Melvin--football star, NASA astronaut, and professional dream chaser.
In this inspiring memoir, adapted from the simultaneous version for adults, young readers will get to learn about Leland Melvin's remarkable life story, from being drafted by the Detroit Lions to bravely orbiting our planet in the International Space Station to writing songs with will.i.am, working with Serena Williams, and starring in top-rated television shows like The Dog Whisperer, Top Chef, and Child Genius.
With do-it-yourself experiments in the back of the book and sixteen pages of striking full-color photographs, this is the perfect book to inspire young readers. When the former Detroit Lion's football career was cut short by an injury, Leland didn't waste time mourning his broken dream. Instead, he found a new one--something that was completely out of this world.
He joined NASA, braved an injury that nearly left him permanently deaf, and still managed to muster the courage and resolve to travel to space on the shuttle Atlantis to help build the International Space Station. Leland's problem-solving methods and can-do attitude turned his impossible-seeming dream into reality.
Leland's story introduces readers to the fascinating creative and scientific challenges he had to deal with in space and will encourage the next generation of can-do scientists to dare to follow their dreams.
Bill Nye the Science Guy says: "Leland's story moves fast; once you get started you'll want to join the chase."
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Kirkus Reviews
Memoir of an astronaut whose road to space took an unusual twist—through the National Football League.
A detailed picture of astronaut training and work, threaded on a decidedly unusual storyline. (Memoir. 11-14)School Library Journal
Gr 6 Up--Former astronaut Melvin has the distinction of being the only person to be drafted into the NFL and fly into outer space as an astronaut. This autobiography chronicles his unique and inspirational journey. The narrative opens with Melvin in a somber place after losing his hearing in an underwater astronaut training accident, before doubling back to his childhood in Virginia. Melvin's readable prose follows his life from his stop off in the NFL, where he was waylaid by an injury before ever playing in a game, through graduate school and all during his time in the International Space Station, to his retirement from NASA. The astronaut proves a likable narrator. He matter-of-factly relates his own experiences with racism as an African American man and gives occasional nods to his Christian faith as a source of strength in difficult times. The scale of Melvin's achievement is impressive: he completed graduate-level engineering coursework at night while attending Dallas Cowboys training camp, and he never gave up his pursuit of going into space, even after his hearing was damaged. While his crowning achievement--being selected to go into space--is not given the level of detail some space buffs may hope for, it's balanced by his encounters with significant historical figures, such as Katherine Johnson, and major historical events--the explosion of the space shuttle Columbia. VERDICT An accessible contemporary autobiography that would be a strong choice for any middle school or teen collection.--Bobbi Parry, East Baton Rouge Parish School System, LA
Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.Review quotes
JNF007090 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Biography & Autobiography | Science & Technology
JNF051010 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Technology | Aeronautics, Astronautics & Space Science
JNF051040 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Science & Nature | Astronomy
United States
Autobiographies
Astronauts
Melvin, Leland
African American astronauts
