Tom Saunders

I really enjoyed this book! I loved the colorful and detailed pictures throughout the story. For example, the details in all the parts of the rocket on the cover page are very tiny and bright. I also really liked the plot of this story. Many children can relate to Neil Armstrong when he was a young boy because he had a large dream, yet everyone told him he couldn’t do it and that he would fail. For example, he said at a very young age that he wanted to go to the moon. He told his parents show more this and they both said that it was “too far away.” His teachers told him it was not possible and that it was a crazy idea, with his friends thinking the same. Scientists even told him, “You’ll never go to the moon, Neil. You’ll never go to the moon.” My favorite part is that although all of these people in Neil’s life told him that he would never be able to go to the moon, he still believed in himself. The big idea of this story is to not let anyone tell you that you can’t accomplish a dream. You must stay strong and believe in yourself because if you put your mind to it and work hard, you can accomplish anything. show less

This book was a finalist in the 2006 USA Book News Awards.