Sally Ride A Space Biography

Children's Literature - Meredith Kiger

Part of the "Countdown to Space" series, this volume chronicles the life of Sally Ride, the first woman astronaut in the United States. It is an inspiring story about a regular kid whose special interest in space finally led her to become a very special person in space travel history. Born in California, Sally takes an unlikely route through a seemingly normal upbringing to become a household name. The book describes in detail her first journey on the spaceship Challenger, as well as Sally's subsequent accomplishments. Accompanied by actual photographs of space flight, the book emphasizes that through inspiration and hard work, anything is possible.

School Library Journal

Gr 4-8Brief, well-written accounts of individuals who have participated in the NASA space program. Focusing primarily on astronaut training, career experience, and space flights, these easy-to-read texts are well documented and include quotes from the subjects. Black-and-white and full-color photos appear throughout. These are excellent introductory biographies that could easily be used for reports or recreational reading. While there are numerous titles available about the early U.S. space missions, there are few biographies for this audience on the original seven Mercury astronauts. Gus Grissom's achievements and tragic death make for compelling reading. Kramer's book is similar in coverage to June Behrens's Sally Ride (Children's Press, 1984; o.p.) and Carolyn Blacknall's Sally Ride (Dillon Press, 1984; o.p.). However, it has a more skillful balance of high-interest material with a scholarly objectivity consistent with its carefully cited text and list of sources.Phyllis Graves, Creekwood Middle School, Kingwood, TX