The Man Who Went to the Far Side of the Moon: The Story of Apollo 11 Astronaut Michael Collins [Hardcover]

Bea Uusma Schyffert (Author)

Book Description

Grade Level: P and up | Series: Mildred L Batchelder Award Book (Awards)

Do you know the story of Michael Collins, the Apollo 11 astronaut who went all the way to the moon but never walked on its surface? Instead, he orbited the moon 14 times, surrounded by 701 power switches and 20 pounds of checklists. Reminiscent of a scrapbook, this extraordinary book chronicles what Michael Collins did, saw, and thought about in space. Through fascinating facts, quotes, checklists, original drawings, and photos taken both in space and on Earth, it also tells how the astronauts prepared for their historic journey, what they brought with them, and what they left behind.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-7-Unusual page design and a fine array of memorable, seldom-mentioned details make this an irresistible invitation to travel along with the astronaut who stayed aloft while Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the moon. In a narrative interspersed with the crew's r‚sum‚s, handwritten passages from Collins's notes, candid family and mission snapshots, control panel and spacesuit diagrams, lists of personal items that Apollo astronauts brought to the moon, the sometimes-quirky things they left there, and more, Schyffert both humanizes the experience of going into space and captures a sense of what a technical achievement it was and is. (The procedural checklists alone weighed 20 pounds and were referred to by the astronauts as the "fourth passenger.") Closing with notes about the later careers of all three Apollo 11 astronauts, and a final quote from the command module pilot, "We're lucky to have this planet. I know," this book will inspire any child intrigued by the past or future of space exploration to track down Collins's own old-but-still-fresh Flying to the Moon (Farrar, 1994).
John Peters, New York Public Library
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 3-6. It's bad enough to go somewhere and have to wait alone in the car, but what if you traveled all the way to the moon and had to stay in the spacecraft? This is the story of Michael Collins, the astronaut on the 1969 Apollo 11 moon mission who did not walk on the moon. His job was to maneuver the capsule and wait while Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed the lunar module and planted the first footprints into moon dust. For 14 lonely turns, Collins circled the moon: "The only thing between him and outer space is some insulation and a thin sheet of metal." More than a trip to the Smithsonian, even more than viewing the film Apollo 13, this excellent book--illustrated scrapbook-style with a cleverly presented mix of photographs, illustrations, and charts--communicates the excitement of space travel. Details about the Columbia--equipment, food (frosted flakes and peanut cubes), and the sights and smells--will fascinate readers. Schyffert does a brilliant job of capturing the enormity of space travel during this suspenseful journey. Karin Snelson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 80 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books; First Edition edition (July 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811840077
• ISBN-13: 978-0811840071
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 6.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #452,001 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not just for kids, this is a space fan's delight!, December 16, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Man Who Went to the Far Side of the Moon: The Story of Apollo 11 Astronaut Michael Collins (Hardcover)

I'm always stopping into my daughter's elementary school library to help reshelf books. I saw this newly published book on display and took a look at it. I'm an avid space fan and just couldn't resist the catchy title and the very unique shiny cover. It caught my interest right away, so I took it home for a longer look. Well, even though it's a 9 - 12 year old reading level book... I was fascinated by it. There were some very interesting facts that I never knew about the Apollo 11 mission. There are even facts about the following Apollo missions. The facts are presented in very fun and easy to read charts. The pictures are very personal and different from any I'd seen before. There are also several pages of Michael Collins own handwritten journal notes, which I'd never seen before.
I'd say this book is a MUST HAVE for any space fan, no matter what their age and a definite winner for any 9 - 12 year old future space explorers. I like the book so much that I'm (...) buying three copies today!