To the Moon!: The True Story of the American Heroes on the Apollo 8 Spaceship

by Jeffrey Kluger, Ruby Shamir Narrated by Jeffrey Kluger

Overview

The exciting and inspiring true story of Apollo 8, the first crewed spaceship to break free of the Earth's orbit and reach the moon, by the best-selling author of Apollo 13.

What's more exciting than spaceships and astronauts? How about a spaceship carrying the first astronauts ever to see the moon firsthand--on Christmas!

The year was 1968, and the American people were still reeling from the spacecraft fire that killed the Apollo 1 crew a year earlier. On top of that, there were rumors that the Russian cosmonauts were getting ready to fly around the moon. NASA realized that they needed to take a bold step--and that they needed to take it now. They wanted to win the space race against Russia and hold true to President Kennedy's promise to put a man on the moon by the end of the decade. So in a risky move, a few days before Christmas of that year, they sent Frank Borman, Jim Lovell, and Bill Anders to the moon!

This book about the exciting and inspiring true story of Apollo 8, the first crewed spaceship to break free of Earth's orbit and reach the moon, tells the story of these three brave men, the frantic rush to get their rocket ready, and the journey that gave the American people--and the world--a new look at the planet we live on and the corner of space we inhabit.

Filled with the science and training required to put a person into space, and every detail of what it's like to live in a spaceship for days on end (including what happens when astronauts need to use the bathroom), this book is sure to leave kids clamoring for a spot on the next mission to outer space.


Includes a bonus PDF with Apollo 8 glossary and photos

Editorial Reviews

MAY 2018 - AudioFile

Author and narrator Jeffrey Kluger is passionate about NASA’s 1968 Apollo 8 mission to circle the moon and about sharing this feat with listeners. The result is a captivating audiobook featuring lead astronaut Frank Borman and his fellow astronauts, Jim Lovell and Bill Anders. Listeners will hear about the tension of preceding the Russian cosmonauts on this route, the myriad firsts that would be accomplished to attempt the flight, the sorrow over the deaths of the Apollo 1 astronauts, the daily lives of the astronauts and their families, and the emotion and wonder of the flight itself. Kluger’s animated voice presses onward and maintains suspense. Listeners will live, or relive, this breathtaking time in space exploration. A.R. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine

From the Publisher

Praise for To the Moon:

"[F]ascinating details about eating, sleeping, and taking care of business while in space will keep readers turning pages [and the] epilogue is a romantic ode to the space race with reminders of its remarkable legacy." —Kirkus Reviews

"Kluger tells the main story with a good balance of technological details and human-interest narratives. . . . An engaging, informative account of the Apollo 8 mission." —Booklist

"[A]n appealing and informative account of the first mission to circle the moon [that] will appeal to those with a keen interest in America’s space program who have enjoyed other books on the topic, such as Andrew Chaikin’s Mission Control, This Is Apollo: The Story of the First Voyages to the Moon." —School Library Journal

"[A]n excellent example of how nonfiction can have a strong voice and develop the reader’s interest. Anyone interested in the history of the Apollo mission or space travel will enjoy this accounting." —School Library Connection

School Library Journal

02/01/2018
Gr 5–9—Kluger provides an appealing and informative account of the first mission to circle the moon. While preparing for a different mission, astronaut Frank Borman received a call wherein he was told he will be orbiting the moon. The book then delves into a detailed account of the preparation and the exciting mission itself. Readers learn of the astronauts' impression of the moon, the beautiful and significant photograph of Earth they were able to take—the famous Earthrise—and their transmitted reading from the Book of Genesis. The human angle is also presented as the personal lives of the astronauts—Borman, James Lovell, and William Anders—and the trials of their anxious families are recounted. Black-and-white photos of the astronauts and the spaceships are included. VERDICT This engaging work will appeal to those with a keen interest in America's space program who have enjoyed other books on the topic, such as Andrew Chaikin's Mission Control, This Is Apollo: The Story of the First Voyages to the Moon.—Margaret Nunes, Gwinnett County Public Library, GA

MAY 2018 - AudioFile

Author and narrator Jeffrey Kluger is passionate about NASA’s 1968 Apollo 8 mission to circle the moon and about sharing this feat with listeners. The result is a captivating audiobook featuring lead astronaut Frank Borman and his fellow astronauts, Jim Lovell and Bill Anders. Listeners will hear about the tension of preceding the Russian cosmonauts on this route, the myriad firsts that would be accomplished to attempt the flight, the sorrow over the deaths of the Apollo 1 astronauts, the daily lives of the astronauts and their families, and the emotion and wonder of the flight itself. Kluger’s animated voice presses onward and maintains suspense. Listeners will live, or relive, this breathtaking time in space exploration. A.R. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews

2017-12-03
In this account of the Apollo 8 flight, astronaut Frank Borman and his crewmates take the first manned trip around the moon at the height of the 1960s space race.With the assistance of Shamir, Kluger introduces readers to the central figure, Frank Borman, as a boy with dreams of flying who becomes a groundbreaking astronaut. Though there were earlier flights, the book begins with the Gemini 7 and includes all missions through Apollo 8. The pacing until the Apollo flights is slow, but the fascinating details about eating, sleeping, and taking care of business while in space will keep readers turning pages. The co-authors thoughtfully and naturally explain unfamiliar concepts such as how rockets launch and what makes them fly. The writing is best when exploring the people behind the history—the astronauts' families, friendships, and sorrow at the loss of the Apollo 1 crew—but these compelling details are too few. Similarly, the narrative paints an incomplete picture of the 1960s, with only brief mentions of the civil rights movement, anti-war protests, and the Cold War. Though the tone overall is matter-of-fact, there are a few beautiful, poetic lines. The epilogue is a romantic ode to the space race with reminders of its remarkable legacy. In an author's note, Kluger briefly describes his process and sources, but there is no formal bibliography.This detailed account of a lesser-known space flight varies in narrative quality but does just enough to draw in readers who grew up well after the space race. (photographs, glossary, index) (Nonfiction. 10-14)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940169238747
Publisher:	Penguin Random House
Publication date:	03/20/2018
Edition description:	Unabridged
Age Range:	10 - 13 Years

Read an Excerpt

Prologue
(Continues…)

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Excerpted from "To the Moon!"
by .
Copyright © 2019 Jeffrey Kluger.
Excerpted by permission of Penguin Young Readers Group.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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