CB #8: Almost Astronauts- Robert F. Sibert

13 Women Who Dared to Dream

Author:  Tanya Lee Stone

Illustrator:  N/A

Genre:  Juvenile Nonfiction
Subgenre:  Astronauts, careers
Themes:  NASA, Project Mercury
Awards:  Robert F. Sibert
Date of Publication:  2009
Publishing Company:  Candlewick Press
What does it take to be an astronaut? You should be able to fly, have courage, be intelligent, cope with stress, and be in top physical shape. But when America created NASA in 1958, there was another unspoken rule: you had to be a man. Here is the tale of thirteen women who proved that they were not only as tough as the toughest man but also brave enough to challenge the fact that you do not have to be a man. They were blocked by prejudice, jealousy, and the note of one of the most powerful men in Washington. But even though the Mercury 13 women did not make it into space, they did not lose, for their example empowered young women to take their place in the sky, piloting jets and commanding space capsules. "Almost Astronauts" is the story of thirteen true women for the coming of space!