NASA’s 50th Anniversary of the Moon Landing
Youth Edition
To order any of these titles, contact the library by email, mail or phone. You may also request these titles online through WolfPAC. All books available on Braille and Audio Reading Download site (BARD) are linked for downloading. Happy Reading!
2019
Kindergarten to Grade 3
Counting on Katherine by Helaine Becker
BR 22340; 1 volume of print/braille in UEB.
DB 91759
Read by Gabriella Cavallero. Reading time: 19 minutes.
Introduces the boundary-breaking mathematician Katherine Johnson, whose passion for numbers at a young age led to a position at NASA, where she calculated moon landings and helped save the Apollo 13 mission. Highlights the challenges she faced as an African American and as a woman. For grades K-3. 2018.
Hidden Figures: The True Story of Four Black Women and the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly
BR052330; 1 volume of print/braille in UEB.
Explores the previously uncelebrated but pivotal contributions of NASA's African American women mathematicians to America's space program, describing how Jim Crow laws segregated them despite their groundbreaking successes. Illustrated by Laura Freeman. Coretta Scott King Honor Book. Print/Braille. For grades K-3 and older readers. 2018.
Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11 by Brian Floca
DB 85036
Read by Patrick Downer. Reading time: 41 minutes.
Overview of the Apollo 11 mission that sent the first astronauts to land on the Moon in the summer of 1969. For grades K-3. 2009.
What the Moon is Like by Franklyn Mansfield Branley
DB 60126
Read by Erin Jones. Reading time: 10 minutes.
Describes Earth's moon. Discusses the astronauts who have been to the moon's surface and what they found when they walked there. Includes learning activities. For grades K-3. 1986.
Whoosh!: Lonnie Johnson's Super-Soaking Stream of Inventions by Chris Barton
DB 85191
Read by Ken Jackson. Reading time: 17 minutes.
Chronicles the life and achievements of Lonnie Johnson, a NASA engineer and inventor. Highlights range from his inquisitive childhood to his accidental invention of the Super Soaker water gun. For grades K-3. 2016.
Grades 2 to 4
Getting Ready for Space by Carmen Bredeson
DB 58552
Read by John Polk. Reading time: 5 minutes.
Describes the training astronauts go through to prepare for living conditions on a space shuttle. Easy reader. For grades 2-4. 2003.
Liftoff! by Carmen Bredeson
DB 58573
Read by John Polk. Reading time: 4 minutes.
A simple overview of some of the preparations for a space shuttle launch. Easy reader. For grades 2-4. 2003.
Living on a Space Shuttle by Carmen Bredeson
DB 58446
Read by Gary Telles. Reading time: 3 minutes.
Provides a simple description of how astronauts aboard a space shuttle perform everyday activities such as eating, drinking, and sleeping. Easy reader. For grades 2-4. 2003.
Mission to Mars by Franklyn Mansfield Branley
BR 14825; 1 volume of braille.
Discusses what people might find if they could travel to Mars; whether there might be air, water, or gravity; and what it might be like to live in a space station while exploring the planet. For grades 2-4. 2002.
The Moon by Elaine Landau
DB 67109
Read by Erin Jones. Reading time: 29 minutes.
Presents facts about the brightest object in the night sky--the Moon. Explains the phases of the lunar month, conditions on the Moon's surface, and the formation of the Moon. Answers questions about how astronauts survive in space and whether people could live on the Moon. For grades 2-4. 2008.
Space Challenger: The Story of Guion Bluford: An Authorized Biography by James Haskins
LP001757; 128 pages.
School counselors told Guion Bluford, who dreamed of building planes that he was not "college material." He eventually earned a Ph.D. in aerospace engineering and became an astronaut, the first black American in space. For grades 2-4. 1984.
To Space and Back by Sally Ride
DB 26528
Read by Madelyn Buzzard. Reading time: 1 hour.
Describes what it is like to travel in space aboard the space shuttle, where eating, sleeping, getting dressed, and other simple routines become complicated because of weightlessness. For grades 2-4 and older readers. 1986.
Grades 3 to 6
Far-Out Guide to the Solar System by Mary Kay Carson
DB 74659
Read by Kerry Dukin. Reading time: 8 hours, 17 minutes.
Explores ten titles in the Far-Out Guide series: The Sun, The Moon, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Provides facts, exploration time lines, glossaries, and resources for each entry. For grades 3-6. 2010.
First on the Moon: What it was Like When Man Landed on the Moon by Barbara Hehner
DB 50657
Read by Lou Harpenau. Reading time: 1 hour, 14 minutes.
Traces the events of the Apollo 11 mission in 1969. Describes the Saturn V rocket, the lunar module, and the roles of the astronauts--Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, the first men who walked on the Moon's surface; and Michael Collins, pilot of the command module. For grades 3-6. 1999.
I Want to Know about a Flight to the Moon by Al Worden
DB 09167
Read by John Stratton. Reading time: 56 minutes.
A member of the Apollo 15 crew describes how he became an astronaut, the training he received, and his flight to the moon. For grades 3-6. 1974.
Is There Life on Other Planets? And Other Questions about Space by Gregory Vogt
DB 71457
Read by Dan Bloom. Reading time: 50 minutes.
Scientific responses to seventeen beliefs about space. Discusses whether astronauts wear diapers in space, or humans really landed on the Moon, or the North Star moves from its place in the sky, and other topics. For grades 3-6. 2010.
Mars by Larry Dane Brimner
BR 12153; 1 volume of braille.
Presents ancient beliefs and basic facts about the Red Planet. Discusses the information sent by space probes passing Mars and from the 1997 landing of Pathfinder on the planet's surface. Concludes with plans for further exploration. Universe series. For grades 3-6. 1998.
Mercury by Larry Dane Brimner
BR 12140; 1 volume of braille.
Provides basic facts about the planet closest to the sun. Discusses the Mariner 10 space probe, which sent back much more information than was previously known about Mercury. Universe series. For grades 3-6. 1998.
Grades 4 to 7
The Adventures of Sojourner: The Mission to Mars that Thrilled the World by Susi Trautmann Wunsch
DB 48161
Read by Terence Aselford. Reading time: 11 hours, 26 minutes.
Describes the development of the microrover called Sojourner that would become the first mobile, remote control explorer of another planet. Tells the story of the Mars Pathfinder mission that landed on July 4, 1997, and the successful transmissions back to Earth. For grades 4-7. 1998.
Countdown: 2979 Days to the Moon by Suzanne Slade
DB 92490
Read by Jeff Allin. Reading time: 1 hour, 31 minutes.
Told in free verse. Recounts the story of the American effort to land the first man on the moon in 1969, and the eleven Apollo missions it took to get them there. For grades 4-7. 2018.
Exploring Space: From Galileo to the Mars Rover and Beyond by Martin Jenkins
DB 88462
Read by Patrick Downer. Reading time: 2 hours, 45 minutes.
Presents a brief history of humankind's space exploration, covering such topics as the first human missions, life on the International Space Station, and our hopes to colonize Mars. For grades 4-7 and older readers. 2017.
Eye of the Storm: NASA, Drones, and the Race to Crack the Hurricane Code by Amy E. Cherrix
DB 88337
Read by Mare Travaythan. Reading time: 2 hours, 14 minutes.
Describes the ways in which technology is being used to study hurricanes to predict both the timing and strength of these storms. Focuses on NASA's Hurricane and Severe Storm Sentinel (HS3) mission, which uses drone technology. For grades 4-7. 2017.
Hidden Figures: The Untold True Story of Four African-American Women Who Helped Launch Our Nation into Space by Margot Lee Shetterly
DB 86824
Read by Jill Ferris. Reading time: 5 hours, 4 minutes.
LP003375; 281 pages
Profiles four African American women who worked as human computers for the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, now known as NASA. Details their lives and groundbreaking contributions to the space program. For grades 4-7 and older readers. 2016.
John Glenn's Return to Space by Gregory Vogt
DB 52682
Read by L. J. Ganser. Reading time: 1 hour, 26 minutes.
A brief summary of the American space program. Covers astronaut training, equipment, and responsibilities. Focuses on John Glenn's second flight into space in 1998 at age seventy-seven, comparing it with his first flight in 1962. For grades 4-7. 2000.
The Man Who Went to the Far Side of the Moon: The Story of Apollo 11 Astronaut Michael Collins by Bea Uusma Schyffert
DB 59121
Read by Dan Bloom. Reading time: 1 hour, 6 minutes.
Chronicles what Apollo 11 astronaut Michael Collins did, saw, and thought during America's first lunar-landing mission. Relates how teammates Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed the lunar module and took mankind's first steps on the moon, while Collins piloted Columbia solo fourteen times around the moon. For grades 4-7. 2003.
Mission to Pluto: The First Visit to an Ice Dwarf and the Kuiper Belt by Mary Kay Carson
DB 87074
Read by Faith Potts. Reading time: 2 hours, 52 minutes.
Overview of NASA's New Horizons spacecraft project and an introduction to the team of scientists as they finally explore Pluto, the space entity originally considered a planet. Highlights the July 2015 Pluto system flyby and the targeted 2019 spacecraft visit to Kuiper belt object 2014 MU69. For grades 4-7. 2016.
Space Shuttle by Nigel Hawkes
DB 23473
Read by Mary Pederson. Reading time: 39 minutes.
Discusses the development of a reusable space vehicle and describes plans for the shuttle program. How the shuttle works and how its crew eats, sleeps, and operates in space are explained. For grades 4-7. 1982.
Space Station Science: Life in Free Fall by Marianne J. Dyson
DB 49985
Read by Mark Ashby. Reading time: 3 hours, 11 minutes.
Describes what life is like on space stations and how crews are trained to survive in weightlessness. Explains how air, water, and power will be supplied to the station and discusses how the human body will react and what tasks will be performed. Includes experiments and activities related to these topics. For grades 4-7. 1999.
Women in Space: Reaching the Last Frontier by Carole S. Briggs
BR 12629; 1 volume of braille.
DB 30205
Read by Rita Hottois. Reading time: 2 hours, 12 minutes.
Profiles of women astronauts, including Russian cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman to go into space; Sally K. Ride, the first American woman in space; and Judith Resnik, who died in the 1986 Challenger disaster. For grades 4-7 and older readers. 1988.
Grades 5 to 8
Apollo 8: The Mission that Changed Everything by Martin W. Sandler
DB 93071
Read by Jon Pinnow. Reading time: 3 hours, 26 minutes.
LP003523; 237 pages.
Explores the space race during a time when Americans desperately needed something to believe in. Covers the history of the Apollo 8 mission, the technical challenges, and the key players involved in launching three astronauts into space to orbit the Earth's moon in 1968. For grades 5-8. 2018.
Chasing Space: Young Readers' Edition by Leland Melvin
DB 89168
Read by Bob Moore. Reading time: 5 hours, 30 minutes.
A NASA astronaut shares his experiences that led him off the football field and into space. Discusses his time as an NFL football player and as an engineer, as well as the spacewalk training accident that left him with a partial hearing loss. For grades 5-8 and older readers. 2017.
The Columbia Space Shuttle Disaster from First Liftoff to Tragic Final Flight by Michael D. Cole
DB 58504
Read by Steven Carpenter. Reading time: 46 minutes.
Details the history of the reusable spaceship Columbia from before its first launch in 1981 to its last in 2003 when tragedy struck. Discusses the experiments conducted in space and the craft's heat-tile problems that led to the crash and death of seven astronauts. For grades 5-8. 2003.
Endurance, Young Readers Edition: My Year in Space and How I Got There by Scott Kelly
LP003528; 439 pages
Prepare to blast off with astronaut Scott Kelly as he takes readers on a journey through his year aboard the International Space Station and his life prior to becoming a true American hero. For grades 5-8. 2019.
Heroes of the Challenger by Daniel Cohen
DB 25430
Read by Jake Williams. Reading time: 2 hours, 9 minutes.
Starting with an account of the January 28, 1986, explosion of the space shuttle "Challenger," this book includes short, interesting profiles of each of the seven astronauts killed in the tragedy, as well as a brief history of the U.S. space program. For grades 5-8 1986.
Is There Life on Mars? by Dennis B. Fradin
DB 50468
Read by Andy Chappell. Reading time: 4 hours, 5 minutes.
Historical survey of theories about life on Mars, from ancient civilizations' perceptions to twentieth-century space exploration. Discusses evidence of canals and Percival Lowell's studies of them, discoveries made by the Mariner and Viking missions, and possibilities of future colonization by earthlings. For grades 5-8. 1999.
Mission Control, This is Apollo: The Story of the First Voyages to the Moon by Andrew Chaikin
DB 69525
Read by Andy Pyle. Reading time: 3 hours, 52 minutes.
Chronicles the NASA response to President John Kennedy's challenge to put a man on the moon, describing the successes and failures of all seventeen Apollo missions from 1967 through 1972. Discusses the astronauts' courage, moonwalks, and reactions to space travel. For grades 5-8. 2009.
Onboard the Space Shuttle by Ray Spangenburg
BR 15326; 1 volume of press braille
DB 57877
Read by Graci Ragsdale Miller. Reading time: 2 hours, 27 minutes.
Examines what life is like for crews working on U.S. space shuttles and on the Russian space station Mir. Describes the space program's development and early problems, major scientific accomplishments, the 1986 Challenger explosion, landmark missions, and the 2000 international space station launch. Out of This World series. For grades 5-8 and older readers. 2002.
Space Flight: Crossing the Last Frontier by Jason Richie
DB 57463
Read by Butch Hoover. Reading time: 3 hours, 36 minutes.
Profiles seven engineers and scientists who made space flight possible. In describing important projects the author includes Robert Goddard and the liquid-fuel rocket, William Pickering and planetary probes, and Wernher von Braun and the moon program. For grades 5-8. 2002.
Team Moon: How 400,000 People Landed Apollo 11 on the Moon by Catherine Thimmesh
DB 63398
Read by Mark Delgado. Reading time: 2 hours, 13 minutes.
Profiles the unsung heroes accountable for Apollo 11's launch, voyage, landing, and return, including engineers, computer technicians, and seamstresses who assembled the space suits. Discusses glitches that occurred and the quick thinking that resolved them. Conveys the team effort that made the mission a success. For grades 5-8. 2006.
To the Moon!: The True Story of the American Heroes on the Apollo 8 Spaceship by Jeffrey Kluger
DB 90523
Read by Jeffrey Kluger. Reading time: 7 hours, 23 minutes.
LP003529; 439 pages
Recounts the exciting and inspiring true story of Apollo 8, the first manned American spaceship to break free of the Earth's orbit and reach the moon. For grades 5-8. 2018.
Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World by Rachel Ignotofsky
DB 86127
Read by Eva Wilhelm. Reading time: 3 hours, 46 minutes.
Profiles fifty notable women and their achievements in science, engineering, and mathematics, from the ancient world to the present. Includes Katherine Johnson, an African American physicist and mathematician, who worked for NASA as a female computer and later calculated the trajectory for the Apollo 11 mission. For grades 5-8. 2016.
Grades 6 to 9
Almost Astronauts: Thirteen Women Who Dared to Dream by Tanya Lee Stone
DB 69713
Read by Erin Jones. Reading time: 3 hours, 31 minutes.
Discusses the thirteen American women who passed the stringent physical and mental exams required to become astronauts in the 1960s but were disqualified on the basis of gender. Covers the role these female pilots played as pioneers for admittance to the NASA program. For grades 6-9. 2009.
Flying to the Moon and Other Strange Places by Michael Collins
DB 10443
Read by Ralph Lowenstein. Reading time: 4 hours, 15 minutes.
Account of the astronaut's career and celebrated moon landing. Includes speculations about the future of space exploration. For grades 6-9. 1976.
How to be a Space Scientist in Your Own Home by Seymour Simon
DB 31178
Read by Patricia McDermott. Reading time: 1 hour, 11 minutes.
A collection of twenty-four experiments, using easily available, inexpensive materials, which duplicate some principles and problems encountered in space flight. For grades 6-9. 1982.
The Race for Space: The United States and the Soviet Union Compete for the New Frontier by Betsy Kuhn
BR 17344; 1 volume of braille.
Discusses the beginning of the space age, from the Soviet launch of Sputnik in 1957 to the American astronauts' moon landing in 1969, with comments on later developments. Examines the rivalry between the two superpowers and its influence on American society and government policy. People's History series. For grades 6-9. 2007.
Junior and Senior High
Women in Space: Twenty-Three Stories of First Flights, Scientific Missions, and Gravity-Breaking Adventures by Karen Bush Gibson
DB 78366
Read by Kurt Elftmann. Reading time: 6 hours, 38 minutes.
History of space exploration highlighting the contributions of female astronauts. Includes profiles of Russian Valentina Tereshkova, who became the first woman in space in 1963, and Sally Ride, the first American female astronaut, who boarded the Challenger twenty years later. For junior and senior high and older readers. 2014.
The Worlds of Galileo: The Inside Story of NASA's Mission to Jupiter by Michael Hanlon
DB 59581
Read by Dan Willems. Reading time: 7 hours, 56 minutes.
Behind-the-scenes look at the American spacecraft Galileo, its engineering and design team, and its prolonged interplanetary journey beginning October 18, 1989. Details the probe's two dozen orbits of Jupiter and data it transmitted concerning the moon Europa's ice and Io's volcanoes. For junior and senior high and older readers. 2001.