Tag Archives: Space

MG/YA – Fascinating Food

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Fascinating Food. Essential Library, an imprint of Abdo, 2025. $30.00 ea. $240.00 set of 8. 112 p. Grades 6-12. 

Sonneborn, Liz. The Fast Food Industry. 978 -1-098-29524-0.
Burling, Alexis. Food and Culture. 978-1-098-29525-7.
—. Food Delivery. 978-1-098-29526-4.
Edwards, Sue Bradford. Food in Space. 978-1-098-29527-1.
Waldendorf, Kurt. Food Marketing. 978-1-098-29528-8.
Hogan, Christa C. Food Science. 978-1-098-29529-5.
Sonneborn, Liz. How Supermarkets Work. 978-1-098-29530-1.
Wheeler, Jill C. Modern Farming. 978-1-098-29531-8.

Food in Space is a title in the Fascinating Food series. During the early days of human spaceflight in the 1960s, scientists faced the difficult problem of figuring out how astronauts could eat safely and nutritiously without gravity. Food in Space traces how space‑food technology has evolved from the first Mercury missions through current expeditions to the International Space Station, showing how researchers improved both the nutrition and practicality of meals designed for orbit.

THOUGHTS: The book succeeds in making the science approachable, showing how space‑food technology has progressed from simple, early Mercury‑era meals to the more complex dining options available on the International Space Station today. Its inclusion of infographics, a glossary, and clear source notes helps break down technical concepts and makes the material accessible for student researchers. The alignment to Common Core and state standards also makes it a strong fit for classroom use. Overall, the book provides a thoughtful, informative introduction to an unusual corner of food science and space history.

600’s Technology and Applied Sciences

Elem. – Amazing Adventures (Series NF)

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Hall, Alex. Amazing Adventures. Bearport, 2025. 32 p. $23.07 ea. $92.28 set of 4. Grades 2-5. 

Pioneers at Sea. 979-8-892-32875-3.
Pioneers in the Sky. 979-8-892-32876-0.
Pioneers of Space. 979-8-892-32878-4.
Pioneers on Land. 979-8-892-32877-7.

Readers will have the opportunity to learn more about some of history’s pioneering explorers in the Amazing Adventures series. This series is part of Bearport’s Roar imprint, which is designed to engage struggling and reluctant readers in adventurous nonfiction texts. Each volume in the Amazing Adventures series focuses on a type of exploration–this reviewer had the opportunity to read Pioneers on Land and Pioneers of Space. Pioneers on Land introduces readers to trailblazing travelers and explorers through history. Each two page spread provides a brief biographical sketch of the explorer  accompanied by photos/illustrations. A sampling of land explorers profiled include Marco Polo, Sacagawea, Nelly Bly, and Roald Amundsen. Pioneers of Space similarly profiles trailblazers in space exploration, including Yuri Gagarin, Valentina Tereshkova, Neil Armstrong, and Buzz Aldrin. Backmatter in each volume features a glossary, index, and link to online resources. 

THOUGHTS: This engaging series would be a great choice for elementary biography fans. The set probably is best suited to recreational reading, rather than research projects due to the brief nature of the biographical profiles contained within the text. 

629 Transportation/Engineering
910 Exploration

YA – Atmosphere: A Love Story

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Reid, Taylor Jenkins. Atmosphere: A Love Story. Ballantine Books, 2025. 978-0-593-15871-5. 352 p. $30. Grades 10-12.

Jane knows that she has what it takes to be an astronaut but is still in awe to find herself in one of the early training programs for the space shuttle missions. As she and the other recruits move through the selection and training process, they also navigate their interpersonal relationships, many of which they have to keep hidden. This is especially true for the women who need to prove themselves as the first females to go into space. Along the way, these extraordinary people learn to care about one another, especially when they are challenged by a catastrophe that threatens their lives and connections to those they love on earth.

THOUGHTS: There is already a lot of hype about this book, so this review is more to highlight that it’s a great addition for a high school library. Many teens will already be Taylor Jenkins Reid fans because of her previously popular books, so it’s good to know that this one also has a place in the school library. The romance is lush, but not too steamy. It feels especially good to have a novel that focuses on women in science. It will be easy to convince a lot of readers to try this thrilling book. 

Historical Fiction

Elem. – Where to Hide a Star

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Jeffers, Oliver. Where to Hide a Star. Philomel, 2024. 978-0-593-62224-7. Unpaged. $22.99. Grades PreK-1. 

Author and illustrator Oliver Jeffers is back with another volume in his The Boy series. Where to Hide a Star, opens with the unnamed boy playing a game of hide-and-seek with his two friends, penguin and star. When the star is accidentally forgotten in a rowboat during the game, the boy and penguin go looking for it, but it is nowhere to be found—the rowboat has drifted away! Thankfully for the star, the boat washes ashore at the North Pole, home to a girl who loves stars. Together the star and the girl go on many adventures and become fast friends. Meanwhile, the boy and the penguin have recruited their friend the Martian to help them locate the star. When they arrive at the North Pole, the boy is torn–he wants to take the star home, but he doesn’t want the girl to lose her new friend and be unhappy. The girl is similarly conflicted. The dilemma is solved when the Martin suggests a game of hide-and-seek. He hangs the star in the night sky so both the girl and the boy can always see their star friend. 

THOUGHTS: This delightful friendship story will find a home on many elementary shelves. While the title will be best appreciated by those who have read the prior titles in the The Boy series, readers with no background knowledge of the series will also be able to enjoy this story of friendship and sharing.

Picture Book

MG – The Extraordinary Orbit of Alex Ramirez

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Paulino, Jasminne. The Extraordinary Orbit of Alex Ramirez. G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers, 2025, 978-0-593-85931-5. $18.99. 304 p. Grades 5-9.

Alex Ramirez has spent his educational career within a self-contained classroom. However, this is beginning to leave Alex bored and unchallenged doing the same type of worksheets over and over again. Alex dreams of going to space and being an astronaut, he watches video after video on Youtube about Rockets and NASA. But nobody believes he will actually be able to accomplish his goal of becoming a NASA Rocket scientist, while in a self contained (SC) classroom. Alex is FINALLY sick of everyone else telling him “he can’t” or that “he’s not ready” and so he decides to advocate for himself and show them that he truly is EXTRAORDINARY! 

THOUGHTS: I really enjoyed this novel. I think it highlights the realities of students who may feel like they are being held back in the self-contained classrooms and unable to really stretch their legs and grow. I also really enjoyed seeing Alex advocate for himself within the pages of the book and hope that resonates with some other students as well! 

Realistic Fiction
Novel-In-Verse

Elem. – Almost Underwear: How a Piece of Cloth Traveled from Kitty Hawk to the Moon and Mars

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Roth, Jonathan. Almost Underwear: How a Piece of Cloth Traveled from Kitty Hawk to the Moon and Mars. Christy Ottaviano Books. 978-0-316-52554-1. 32 p. $18.99. Grades K-3. 

In the early 1900s, bolts of unbleached muslin cloth were most often purchased from department stores to be made into sturdy, practical underwear. But, when Orville and Wilbur Wright purchased a bolt of muslin in 1903, they stretched, cut, and sewed the fabric tightly around the wings of the glider they were secretly building. The muslin was perfect for gliding because it was lightweight, flexible, and very strong. On December 17, 1903, the muslin-covered wings helped the Wright Brothers’ glider achieve its historic 12-second flight. But, that was not the final aviation adventure for the humble cloth. On July 20, 1969, to honor Orville and Wilbur’s first flight, Neil Armstrong packed a swatch of original wing fabric into a fireproof bag that he carried with him during the first moon landing. And, more than fifty years later, the piece of cloth traveled to space once again. A team of engineers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California affixed a tiny piece of the original muslin to the underside of the Ingenuity helicopter that lifted off from the surface of Mars on April 19, 2021. Thanks to imagination, ingenuity, and perseverance, the ordinary cloth was woven into some of the greatest moments in aviation history. An Author’s Note and Glossary include additional information about the Wright Brothers, Neil Armstrong and other astronauts, and the engineers who worked on the Mars landing. 

THOUGHTS: Although this book tells a captivating story about an ordinary fabric and its extraordinary destiny, the illustrations are equally intriguing. The illustrations are digitally drawn on top of historic photographs and images of the actual fabric swatch Neil Armstrong took to the moon. Readers will be drawn into this fascinating story and will enjoy connecting the dots between major moments in U.S. history. This will be a great tie-in for STEM and space-themed units and a fun reminder that even the most ordinary things can be destined for greatness. 

629.1 Aerospace Engineering

Elem./MG – Milestones in Technology (Series NF)

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Milestones in Technology. The Child’s World, 2024. $25.00 Each. Set of 8. 32 p. Grades 3-6. 

Havemeyer, Janie. Sports Technology. 978-1-503-86987-5.
—. Space Technology. 978-1-503-86986-8.
Rea, Amy C. Video Game Technology. 978-1-50386-988-2.
—. Computer Technology. 978-1-503-86982-0.
—. Robot and Drone Technology. 978-1-503-86985-1.
Hamen, Susan E. Military Technology. 978-1-503-86983-7.
Ford, Jeanne Marie. Movie Technology. 978-1-503-86984-4.
Bow, James. Car Technology. 978-1-503-86981-3.

This reviewer evaluated the titles Sports Technology and Video Game Technology. Sports Technology features a wearable Fitbit on its cover, but this title also ‘dives’ into several less-thought-of sports technologies. Sports helmets, apparel, and cameras all receive their own section. Virtual reality and smartwatches are also both features of this title, but surprisingly, Apple Watch and other brands are completely omitted from the book. Video Game Technology is similarly organized. This title explores the roots of modern video games and follows their evolution from 1940’s Nimatron to today’s Fortnite. The title includes fast-facts about video games before exploring the history; visuals will entice students to keep reading until the end. All titles include a glossary of terms, a short selected bibliography, and an online link to more (easily updatable) sources.

THOUGHTS: At 32 pages each, these titles offer overviews of the technology used throughout history in various fields. Upper elementary students who are fascinated with electronics, engineering, and computer science will soak up the information in these well-organized and appropriately sourced books without feeling overwhelmed.

688.7 Sports Equipment
794.8 Video Games

Elem. – Ladybug Launch: Inspired by a True Story of Chinitas in Space

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Trempe, Melissa, and Natalia Ojeda. Ladybug Launch: Inspired by a True Story of Chinitas in Space. Illustrated by Manuela Montoya. Margaret K. Elderry Books, 2024. 978-1-665-93040-6. 40 p. $18.99. Grades K-5. 

Luna is a ladybug (chinita) who loves the stars. Natalia is a girl who loves science. Their worlds collide when Luna flies onto Natalia’s science paper. Natalia’s class is discussing ideas about how people might grow food in outer space, and Luna provides just the inspiration the students need. They research how ladybugs eat aphids, providing natural pest control for plants. The class ponders if ladybugs might also be able to do this important work on plants in space. Natalia and her friends perform experiments, take measurements, document their findings, and ultimately present their work to a panel of NASA scientists. On July 23, 1999, the space shuttle Columbia blasts off, and on board are four ladybugs and an experiment designed by Natalia and her high school classmates. The book ends with an Author’s Note by co-author Dr. Natalia Ojeda. She shares details about her real-life experiences with the chinita project, the science experiments she performed as a student in Chile, and her presentations to NASA scientists in the United States. Backmatter also includes a Spanish to English Glossary as well as a list of resources students can access to learn more about ladybugs, female NASA scientists, and the Chandra X-ray Observatory.

THOUGHTS: This inspiring story proves you’re never too young to have a great idea or become a real-world scientist, and it challenges students to make their mark in the field of science as well by following their passions and interests. This will make a solid addition to elementary STEM collections.

Picture Book

Elem./MG – You and the Universe

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Hawking, Stephen. You and the Universe. Illustrated by Xin Li. Random House, 2024. 978-0-593-43211-2. Unpaged. $19.99. Grades K-2.

You and The Universe is based on the message Stephen Hawking wrote that was sent out for Earth Day 2020. The message is describing the questions that Stephen Hawking has tried to answer throughout his life, as well as questions that he wants the younger generations to help answer. The message in the book is one of hope and how we need to work together to “make that future a place we want to visit.” At the end of the book, there are answers to the science questions that are posed throughout the book. There also is a note about Stephen Hawking and the Earth Day message.

THOUGHTS: This would be a great book to pair with Earth Day activities or to pair with listening to Stephen Hawking’s actual Earth Day message that was sent out in 2020. This book is a picture book but would be appropriate for middle school science students as well, especially if they are learning about Stephen Hawking or the different science topics that are covered in the book.

Picture Book

Elem – Dalmartian: a Mars Rover’s Story

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Cummins, Lucy Ruth. Dalmartian: a Mars Rover’s Story. Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2024. 978-1-665-91195-5. $18.99. 48 p. Grades PreK-3.

One night visitors from outer space wind up in Stephen’s backyard collecting samples. Upon his awakening, the visitors flee to their ship leaving one behind. Stephen welcomes the visitor and tries to make him comfortable in his home. However, while the visitor may look like a dog, he is not interested in normal dog foods or activities. Stephen and the visitor must learn to compromise and eventually begin to become friends. One night the rest of the visitors come back and take Stephen’s visitor home. However, the visitor quickly realizes that “home” is now with Stephen. He returns to Stephen’s home, and they become the closest of friends.

THOUGHTS: Just by the title, readers can expect a witty and clever story about friendship. Assuming that the visitor is a dog, Stephen treats him as such which results in funny conundrums that the two must solve. The simplistic illustrations will appeal to young readers and aid in the understanding of the story and the two differing perspectives. Recommended for readers ages 4-8.

Picture Book