Rocket Man: The Mercury Adventure of John Glenn - Hardcover

Ashby, Ruth

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1561453234 ISBN 13: 9781561453238

Publisher: Peachtree Pub Co Inc, 2004

Synopsis

On February 20, 1962, as millions of Americans waited anxiously, astronaut John Glenn blasted off in his rocket ship, Friendship 7, and became the first American to orbit the Earth.
Although the risks of such a mission for Friendship 7 were well known, no one including Glenn knew the peril he was about to encounter in space. John Glenn was one of the Mercury 7 astronauts, the early pioneers of manned space flight. His historic flight followed years of intensive physical training and a devotion to a career in the exciting but risk-filled world of aviation.
Ruth Ashby’s dramatic story of John Glenn’s near-disastrous mission in Friendship 7 also takes young readers through his small-town Ohio childhood, his extraordinary experiences as a fighter pilot in two wars, and his life as an astronaut in the prestigious and dangerous Mercury 7 program. The book concludes with Glenn’s successful career as a U.S. senator and his triumphant return to space in 1998 at the age of 77.

About this title

About the Authors

Ruth Ashby is the award-winning author of dozens of nonfiction and fiction books for juvenile readers. She lives in New York.

Robert Hunt received a BA from the University of California and an MA from the Academy of Art in San Francisco. His work has appeared on the covers of books by many leading authors and has received numerous awards, including ten gold medals from the San Francisco Society of Illustrators. He lives in California.

Reviews

Grade 4-6–Reminiscent of biographies written in the 1950s, this book describes Glenn's life in a highly readable style. Ashby also skillfully includes historical events in the narrative. Beginning with Glenn's childhood, she highlights his contributions to his family during the Great Depression, as he helped save their house by growing and selling crops, washing cars, and delivering newspapers. She traces his flying career during World War II and the Korean War and as a test pilot. She also describes the difficulties he had to overcome to become an astronaut, his historic orbital flight around the Earth, his time as a senator, and his return to space on the Discovery at age 77. The few photographs included are limited to a short section describing the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs. There is no documentation for the many quotes and thoughts that appear throughout the text. Michael Cole's John Glenn (Enslow, 1993) or Rafael Tilton's John Glenn (Lucent, 2001) are better suited for research.–Lana Miles, Duchesne Academy, Houston, TX
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Edition details

• Publisher: Peachtree Pub Co Inc
• Publication date: 2004
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1561453234
• ISBN 13: 9781561453238
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Hunt Robert
• Number of pages: 105