1. Bibliography
Thimmesh, Catherine. 2006. Team Moon: How 400,000 People Landed Apollo 11 on the Moon. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN 9780618507573
2. Plot Summary
The story of the Apollo 11 mission unfolds from beginning to end in this factual nonfiction work. Quotes and anecdotes from many people in various professions from engineers to seamstresses bring the full story of the mission to light. This text begins with the dream and the challenge set forth by President John F. Kennedy, “landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to Earth” to the Maiden Voyage and its challenges to Homeward Bound.
3. Critical Analysis
Thimmesh’s behind-the-scenes perspective and full-color NASA photos create a documentary feeling in this 16 chapter narrative. Thimmesh used personal and taped interviews, NASA transcripts, books, and newscasts in the construction of this fact-filled, well-written text. She describes the events that happened in sequential order from Kennedy’s challenge in May 1961 to the splashdown on July 24, 1969. The well-known event is told through the eyes of the astronauts and NASA personnel as well as many nonastronauts, “The regular folks whose efforts made an impossible mission possible in the first place.” Quotes and memories from the backroom support guys, the space suit test subject, the men in charge of the satellite that received the images of the lunar walk, Portable Life Support System monitors, the photography department, and a parachute system engineer give a more human and dramatic account to this story. The NASA photos with clever caption boxes provide the background for the white text. Thimmesh includes an author’s note, resources, a bibliography, and a glossary. Older elementary and middle school students will enjoy the story of how 400,000 in a team effort landed “an actual man, on the actual Moon.”
4. Review Excerpts and Awards
Starred review in Kirkus Reviews: “This beautiful and well-documented tribute will introduce a new generation to that triumphant time.”
Review in Library Media Connection: “With exciting you-are-there language and stunning historical photographs, this book captures the excitement of the Apollo mission to the moon.”
Review in VOYA: “Those adults old enough to remember the spell that was cast over America when Apollo 11 landed on the moon will understand the importance of this historic event. Thimmesh provides a colorful and impacting overview.”
Review in Horn Book
Review in Publisher’s Weekly
Review in School Library Journal: “This dramatic account will mesmerize even readers already familiar with the event-and also leave then awed by the level of care and dedication it took to surmount so many daunting technological challenges.”
ALA Best Books for Young Adults
Orbis Pictus Honorable Mention for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children
Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award
5. Connections
· Utilize this text in a unit on space exploration in addition to the resources presented in the text “For Further Exploration.”
· Other Apollo 11 titles:
Combs, Lisa M. Rocket to the Moon: The Incredible Story of the First Lunar Landing. ISBN 9780816763313
Crewe, Sabrina and Dale Anderson. The First Moon Landing. ISN 9780836833973
Green, Carl R. Apollo 11 Rockets to First Moon Landing. ISBN 9780766051645
Hehner, Barbara. First on the Moon: What It Was Like When Man Landed on the Moon. ISBN 9780786804894
Mason, Paul. The Moon Landing, July 20, 1969. ISBN9780739852361
Thimmesh, Catherine. 2006. Team Moon: How 400,000 People Landed Apollo 11 on the Moon. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN 9780618507573
2. Plot Summary
The story of the Apollo 11 mission unfolds from beginning to end in this factual nonfiction work. Quotes and anecdotes from many people in various professions from engineers to seamstresses bring the full story of the mission to light. This text begins with the dream and the challenge set forth by President John F. Kennedy, “landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to Earth” to the Maiden Voyage and its challenges to Homeward Bound.
3. Critical Analysis
Thimmesh’s behind-the-scenes perspective and full-color NASA photos create a documentary feeling in this 16 chapter narrative. Thimmesh used personal and taped interviews, NASA transcripts, books, and newscasts in the construction of this fact-filled, well-written text. She describes the events that happened in sequential order from Kennedy’s challenge in May 1961 to the splashdown on July 24, 1969. The well-known event is told through the eyes of the astronauts and NASA personnel as well as many nonastronauts, “The regular folks whose efforts made an impossible mission possible in the first place.” Quotes and memories from the backroom support guys, the space suit test subject, the men in charge of the satellite that received the images of the lunar walk, Portable Life Support System monitors, the photography department, and a parachute system engineer give a more human and dramatic account to this story. The NASA photos with clever caption boxes provide the background for the white text. Thimmesh includes an author’s note, resources, a bibliography, and a glossary. Older elementary and middle school students will enjoy the story of how 400,000 in a team effort landed “an actual man, on the actual Moon.”
4. Review Excerpts and Awards
Starred review in Kirkus Reviews: “This beautiful and well-documented tribute will introduce a new generation to that triumphant time.”
Review in Library Media Connection: “With exciting you-are-there language and stunning historical photographs, this book captures the excitement of the Apollo mission to the moon.”
Review in VOYA: “Those adults old enough to remember the spell that was cast over America when Apollo 11 landed on the moon will understand the importance of this historic event. Thimmesh provides a colorful and impacting overview.”
Review in Horn Book
Review in Publisher’s Weekly
Review in School Library Journal: “This dramatic account will mesmerize even readers already familiar with the event-and also leave then awed by the level of care and dedication it took to surmount so many daunting technological challenges.”
ALA Best Books for Young Adults
Orbis Pictus Honorable Mention for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children
Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award
5. Connections
· Utilize this text in a unit on space exploration in addition to the resources presented in the text “For Further Exploration.”
· Other Apollo 11 titles:
Combs, Lisa M. Rocket to the Moon: The Incredible Story of the First Lunar Landing. ISBN 9780816763313
Crewe, Sabrina and Dale Anderson. The First Moon Landing. ISN 9780836833973
Green, Carl R. Apollo 11 Rockets to First Moon Landing. ISBN 9780766051645
Hehner, Barbara. First on the Moon: What It Was Like When Man Landed on the Moon. ISBN 9780786804894
Mason, Paul. The Moon Landing, July 20, 1969. ISBN9780739852361
