• Booklist Reviews : Booklist Reviews 2019 May #1
  *Starred Review* Ask people to list key figures in America's space program and you'll hear a short list of astronauts' names. Maurer's book, which culminates with the Apollo 11 mission, digs deeper, highlighting six key figures (including one astronaut) and a large supporting cast. The story begins during WWII, when many of those who would figure out how to reach the moon were either engaged in carrying out active warfare, designing more powerful and accurate rockets, or running the mission-driven companies producing superior warplanes and related equipment under pressure. Their urgent sense of shared purpose would drive these individuals when they became NASA's managers, engineers, and astronauts, particularly after Kennedy publicly announced their goal and their deadline for achieving it. Well-chosen photos appear throughout the book. Based on extensive research, including NASA oral history interviews, government documents, books, and articles, the writing is detailed, authoritative, and full of effective quotes. Maurer, who commemorated the 100th anniversary of the Wright brothers' first flight by writing The Wright Sister (2003), marks the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11 with an enlightening history of America's space race. Here's an absorbing, insightful, solidly informative resource for readers who want to understand the U.S. space program from the ground up. Grades 6-12. Copyright 2019 Booklist Reviews.

Richard Maurer is a writer, photo researcher, and exhibit designer. His books for young readers include The Wright Sister: Katharine Wright and her Famous Brothers. The Wild Colorado, winner of the Western Writers Spur Award, and Airborne: The Search for the Secret of Flight, winner of the American Institute of Physics Science Writing Award. A native of West Texas, he now lives in Central Massachusetts with his wife and two sons.