My Journey to the Stars
Exciting memoir rockets future astronauts to space.
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this book.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that My Journey to the Stars is a picture book autobiography by Scott Kelly, the first NASA astronaut to spend nearly a year in space on the International Space Station. (His adult memoir, Endurance, came out the same day.) There's a lot for kids to absorb and latch on to. Memories of Kelly's early years illustrate that life doesn't have to be smooth: Kelly was a distracted, "terrible" student, his twin brother Mark was hit by a car, and his parents fought and divorced. (Parents may recognize the name of Mark Kelly, who became an astronaut, too, and wrote the children's books Mousetronaut and Astrotwins.) Scott Kelly's journey feels very adventurous, and the segments about his NASA career give kids lots of opportunities to geek out and blast off on this wild astronaut ride.
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What's the Story?
MY JOURNEY TO THE STARS, a memoir by astronaut Scott Kelly, begins when he's on his way home after spending a year on the International Space Station, then veers back to his childhood years in New Jersey. He has an identical twin, Mark, who also became an astronaut, which becomes significant in their careers. A "terrible" student, Kelly was inspired when he happened upon the book The Right Stuff about the first NASA astronauts. "That book changed my life forever," since having a dream gave Kelly something concrete to work for. A stint in the Navy as a jet pilot led to his career at NASA and his yearlong mission on the ISS, conducting space-age experiments in its lab.
Is It Any Good?
Scott Kelly describes his descent back to Earth after a year in space as a "wild ride," and in this exciting autobiography, readers ride along and learn about his inspiring career with NASA. Since the book spans childhood through his time as an astronaut, there's a lot for kids to relate to. Kelly offers personal information that might not at first seem pertinent to his career -- his parents fought loudly and divorced -- but then he talks very concretely about how he managed to turn negatives into positives. He frankly admits he was a terrible student who couldn't sit still, until he got a dream and was able to make a step-by-step plan to achieve it -- info that could be encouraging and useful for kids who struggle academically. Throughout, he urges readers to take risks and push themselves to aim high.
The book's also chock-full of science information, easy to digest in the personal memoir format. It touches on space missions, gravity, the effects of a prolonged space stay, research that utilizes twins, growing plants in space, and lots more. The art, heavy on photographs, is supplemented with illustration. All in all, this is a solid book on a topic of strong interest to lots of kids.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the life lessons in My Journey to the Stars. Kelly had a lot of bumps in his early years, but turned them to his advantage. Can you relate to any of his challenges? Are there ways you can put his positive advice to use?
Kelly was inspired by the book The Right Stuff. Are there books that inspire you? Have you read any books that give you ideas for work you might like to do?
Why was NASA interested in testing both Scott Kelly and his twin, Mark? How would information about identical twins help them learn about life in space?
Book Details
- Author: Scott Kelly
- Illustrator: André Ceolin
- Genre: Picture Book
- Topics: STEM, Brothers and Sisters, Great Boy Role Models, Science and Nature, Space and Aliens
- Book type: Non-Fiction
- Publisher: Crown Books for Young Readers
- Publication date: October 17, 2017
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 5 - 8
- Number of pages: 48
- Available on: Hardback
- Last updated: June 19, 2019
Our Editors Recommend
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Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11
Masterful retelling captures magic, mystery of moon mission.
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Astrotwins — Project Blastoff: Astrotwins, Book 1
Serious science, engaging tale for space-loving kids.
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Mousetronaut: Based on a (Partially) True Story
Charming tale of mouse helping astronauts on shuttle flight.
For kids who love science and biographies
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