Genre 4 - Informational Text Book 1

Informational Text- Book Review

Team Moon: How 400,000 People Landed Apollo 11 on the Moon

By: Catherine Thimmesh

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Thimmesh, Catherine. 2006. TEAM MOON: HOW 400,000 PEOPLE LANDED APOLLO 11 ON THE MOON. New York: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 0618507574

PLOT SUMMARY
Have you ever wondered how many people it took to make the first moon landing possible? Catherine Thimmesh has put that question to an end in “Team Moon : How 400,000 People Landed Apollo 11 on the Moon” where she chronicles the Apollo 11 spaceflight of 1969. “Yes, three heroic men went to the moon; but it was a team of four hundred thousand people that put them there.” Thimmesh shares with the readers the stories of the “non-astronauts” with pictures and quotes of their triumphs, setbacks and brilliant efforts that put the first men on the moon!

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Catherine Thimmesh’s look at the moon’s landing is a refreshing approach. Through a photo essay she unfolds the story of Apollo 11 from behind the scenes. Through narratives and personal accounts she provides many page turning facts like “Moon Germs. Bugs. Deadly killer bugs that would come back from the moon, spread-unstoppable-over planet Earth and Do in Humanity.” She does an excellent job presenting the feelings, ambitions and the uncertainty the world was experiencing. Thimmesh reminds her readers "That the stories herein are but snapshots -Just a handful of players pulled from the bench of the greatest team ever.”

Thimmesh organizes her story with easy to understand subtitles like “The Dream” and “Onward and Upward” allowing the reader to mark their place in time. She provides extensive back matter that reinforces her well conducted research but allows for further exploration by readers. Catherine Thimmesh includes: an author’s note, cites her extensive source lists, provides chapter notes, a glossary of terms and allows for browsing by a lengthy index, gives many online resources for any reader to enjoy. Catherine Thimmesh's passion for space is evident with her striking white on black presentation. She has selected beautiful, nostalgic photos that launch the reader back in time. Thimmesh includes captions for the reading to understand each photo along with how it was taken. This book will be enjoyed by young and old as we pay tribute to this large step for mankind.

REVIEW EXCERPTS
Library Media Connection -Those students who are interested in anything space-related will want to read it for pleasure also.”

Publishers Weekly starred review: "This behind-the-scenes look at the first Apollo moon landing has the feel of a public television documentary in its breadth and detail."

CONNECTIONS
This would allow for a great lesson to create a timeline of the mission. Encourage children to create their own picture timeline with captions.

Other Books By The Author:
Thimmesh, Catherine. The Sky’s the Limit:Stories of Discovery by Woman and Girls. ISBN 0618076980.Thimmesh, Catherine. Madame President. ISBN 0618396667