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Synopsis
It's 1969 and thirteen-year-old Scott MacLeod is doing all of the normal activities that boys do and just happens to fly airplanes with his air force flight instructor father. When Scott manages to successfully crash-land a plane, he catches the sys of NASA, who recruits him for a top-secret space program that will send a test flight to the Moon before the first lunar landing. The craft was originally supposed to be piloted by chimps, but when one of them is taken off the mission, they call on Scott to take his place.
Soon Scott finds himslef in the midst of grueling training for this mission and quickly realizes the chimps are much more clever and competent than their human counterparts give them credit for. But things are not quite adding up at the training facility. Could NASA be hiding a secret from the boy aviator and his crew of chimps?
G-forces and goverment secrets collide as Scott sets out on his journey to the Moon and goes on the adventure of a lifetime!
Children's Literature
Set in 1969 when space travel was in its infancy, this novel makes the reader wonder if NASA conceals the truth regarding what actually occurs during space travel. The only thing that thirteen-year-old Scott likes better than airplanes is flying airplanes. Instructed on the art of aircraft flying by his Air Force flight-instructor father, Scotts attracts the attention of NASA after he puts his training to the test by crash landing a training plane in which he was not even supposed to be a passenger. In order to keep his father from being dishonorably discharged from the army and ruining the only chance of reuniting his estranged parents, Scott agrees to pilot, along with two chimpanzees, a test flight to the moon. During his NASA adventure, Scott learns that chimps are smarter than one might think, NASA keeps many secrets, and the moon is home to much more than just craters and dust. The reader gets much more than a tale of space travel, including an extremely detailed account of various flying techniques, numerous flying apparatuses, unique NASA training techniques, and questionable animal behavior modification practices. At times the details are mundane and monotonous and distract the reader from the plot line and character development. This novel would be ideal for the middle school student who is fascinated with space travel. Reviewer: Karen Galenis