Marty’s Mission: An Apollo 11 Story

written by Judy Young

It’s 1969 and Marty’s family lives on the U.S. island of Guam, where his father manages the NASA tracking station that relays signals back and forth between the Apollo 11 astronauts and Mission Control in Houston, Texas. Along with the rest of the world, Marty intently follows the first manned lunar landing and watches astronaut Neil Armstrong’s first steps on the moon. But during the spacecraft’s return to Earth, something goes wrong! Without Marty’s help, Mission Control will not be able to communicate with the astronauts and the craft might not safely return back to Earth. Based on actual events, young readers get a front-row seat to this historic event.

$17.99

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ISBN: 978-1-53411-014-4 Category:

Written by Judy Young
Illustrated by David Miles

Published by Sleeping Bear Press, 2019

Hard Cover, 32 pages

Awards

  • 2021 Great Kids Can Read Award Finalist by Greater Kansas City Assoc. of School Librarians
  • 2019 Kansas State Reading Circle Selection

Reviews

School Library Journal: “Marty’s Mission is about the Apollo 11 mission in 1969 told through the eyes of Marty, the son of a man managing the NASA Tracking Station in Guam… Told with vivid detail and accompanying illustrations, this entertaining story about a young boy’s role in space history also gives a good overview of the Apollo 11 moon mission. There are plenty of stories about the men who landed on the moon, but not a lot is written for children about what the time was like back on Earth or even what complications arose during the mission. The artwork portrays the cool evenings, detailed space transmission parts, and stressful mission that Marty has to undertake in order to save the day. VERDICT An excellent purchase for elementary school collections.”

Midwest Book Review: “Everyone, including me, sat glued to the edge of their seats with excitement as NASA launched its first space mission to put a man on the moon. This story invites us to remember actual events of the historical event of Apollo 11 in 1969. We relive this amazing feat through the eyes and excitement of a young boy, bringing the anticipation and victory of man taking his first step on the moon to a whole new generation. (Ages 6-9)”