Skip to main content

I Love You, Michael Collins

Image
By


I Love You, Michael Collins 
By Lauren Baratz-Logsted
Farrar Straus Giroux, 2018. 230 p.

It is 1969 and the world is collectively holding their breath as three astronauts prepare to launch into space and head for the moon. Ten-year-old Mamie’s class is given an assignment to write a letter to one of the three astronauts. All the girls choose to write to Neil Armstrong. All the boys choose to write to Buzz Aldrin. Mamie alone chooses to write to Michael Collins—the one who will get as close to the moon as possible but will never step foot on it. Her class thinks she is crazy. After the assignment is over, Mamie still writes letters to Michael Collins. She is worried about things that are happening in her life and she is worried about all the dangers that Michael Collins is about to face. This is a beautifully-written story about a girl who is trying to figure out who she is (although she does know she doesn’t want to be the same as everyone else just for the sake of being the same) while trying to figure out what is happening in her family and in the country (and soon to be space) all at the same time. This is one of those books that I started reading and then couldn’t stop thinking about. Give this to any kid who wants to be their own person, enjoys historical facts about the space race, or just loves a book about a couple of really well-written characters.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Review: Faker

By
Faker By Gordon Korman New York: Scholastic Press, 2024. Fiction. 214 pages. 12-year-old Trey is used to starting over at a new school -- he has the routine perfectly memorized: make new friends, introduce his dad to the wealthy parents of his new friends, and "Houdini" themselves out of there before they get caught running their latest scam. Trey's dad is a master con artist, and Trey has just been promoted to full-partner. Their new scheme for the next big score brings them to the affluent suburb of Boxelder, TN where Trey's dad has cooked up a fake electric car company for investors to buy into. The only problem is that Trey is starting to grow tired of moving around and never putting down roots, especially after forming a fast friendship with Logan and developing a crush on Kaylee, a socially conscious girl in his class. As Trey longs for a normal life, is there any way he can convince his dad to get out of the family business? Gordon Korman is a perennial favorit...
Post a Comment
Read more

Dragon Run

By
Dragon Run by Patrick Matthews Scholastic, 2013.  336 pgs.  Fantasy      Al Pilgrommor is excited for Testing Day, when he will receive his rank, a tattooed number on the back of his neck, and a path forward to his future occupation and life.  He feels confident because his parents were fours on a scale of seven, but he is worried for his friend Wisp who doesn't have much of a chance of scoring above a two at best. But when Al is scored a zero, he not only has no prospects, he may lose his life as the dreaded Cullers are unleashed to kill him and his family to purify the land's bloodlines.  Al's world is ruled by dragons--the lords and supposed creators of humankind--so he thinks that even if he survives, he will have to make his living as a beggar or thief. But when Al sticks up for his Earther friend in front of Magister Ludi, he is drawn into the struggle of a secret organization hoping to destroy the Cullers, and perhaps the dragons them...
1 comment
Read more

Painting for Peace in Ferguson

By
Painting for Peace in Ferguson By Carol Swartout Klein Treehouse Publishing Group, 2015. Nonfiction. When the city of Ferguson was overrun with so much hate and despair that homes and businesses had to be boarded up to protect property, citizens of the community decided to bring a message of hope by painting the boarded windows. Klein’s rhyming text supports the photographs of the hundreds of artists and volunteers and their artwork as they bring the messages of peace, hope, love, and that by being united they can make a difference. A great book to show children how a community rallied to make a positive change and that even a small gesture can make a huge difference. A great discussion opener on how we should treat each other.
Post a Comment
Read more