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

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

2007 Robert F. Sibert Medal Winner

Team Moon: How 400,000 People Landed Apollo 11 on the Moon gives readers an "up close and personal" view of what it was like to get the first men onto the moon through interviews of the people that did it.  What sets apart Team Moon from other books on the subject is that the focus is on the people in the background that made the mission happen -- the engineers, scientists, builders and even seamstresses -- rather than the astronauts with whom we are already familiar.  

Through the interviews, Thimmesh relays each step in the launch and mission in a manner that makes one want to hold one's breath.  The mission controller tells the story of  dealing with program alarms blasting as the astronauts grow close to the moon.  The engineers relate the panic of a possibly disasterous fuel line problem once the landing had been accomplished.  We hear from the leader of the Atmospheric Descent System, who for the entire mission had few responsibilities -- except to get the astronauts back into the atmosphere alive.  The tension and excitement of the 8 days of the mission are palatable.  

In addition to providing an exciting first person account of a true life story, this book has several very practical features, which I was happy to see.  The author lists her main sources, additional sources and suggested websites which readers may use for further information and exploration.  In addition, the book contains a glossary to assist with unfamiliar terms.  Finally, Team Moon contains an index, which I have found to be invaluable when assisting students in their research projects in the school library.

Both From Cover to Cover: Evaluating and Reviewing Children's Books and Children's Literature, Briefly point out that authors of informational texts require more scrutiny than those of fiction when it comes to assessing the quality of the book.  In the case of Thimmesh, she is not an expert on NASA or space travel.  However, she has written several award winning books of non-fiction for young audiences which presumably proves her excellence in this particular genre.  As mentioned above, her source list (which includes first person interviews) is extensive, showing that she has done thorough research.

The only addition to Team Moon  I would like to see is more information on the time from 1961 to 1969 which preceeded the actual mission.  What did they have to go through to get to the point that they could launch?  Where do you start a project like "Lets send a man to the moon"?  I think that including that information would give important contextual information and make the story of the actual mission all that more impressive.

This book best suited for high level readers in upper elementary, middle & high school students.  Although it won a children's literature award, much of the language and information contained in the book is quite complex and sophisticated.