What do you think?
Rate this book
Spaceman (Adapted for Young Readers): The True Story of a Young Boy's Journey to Becoming an Astronaut
An astronaut who completed spacewalks on two Hubble missions tells his inspiring story in this middle grade adaptation of the bestselling adult memoir, Spaceman: An Astronaut's Unlikely Journey to Unlock the Secrets of the Universe.
From the time he was seven-years-old and saw Apollo 11 land on the moon, Mike Massimino dreamed of becoming an astronaut. Long Island is a long way from space. Kids like him, growing up in working-class families, seldom left the neighborhood. But with the encouragement of teachers and mentors, Mike ventured down on a path that took him to Columbia University and to MIT. It wasn't easy. There were academic setbacks and disappointments aplenty--and NASA turned him down three times. Still, Mike never gave up. He rose to each challenge and forged ahead, inching closer to realizing his boyhood dream. His love of science and space, along with his indomitable spirit and sense of teamwork eventually got him assigned to two missions to fix the Hubble Space Telescope--as a spacewalker.
Spaceman takes readers on Mike's unlikely ride from Earth to space, showing the breathtaking wonder of science and technology along the way.
"Mike Massimino is a spaceman through and through. In this edition for young people, he tells us how hard work can take you out of this world. He believes in teamwork, and he never gives up. Prepare to be inspired." --BILL NYE, SCIENCE GUY and CEO, THE PLANETARY SOCIETY
From the time he was seven-years-old and saw Apollo 11 land on the moon, Mike Massimino dreamed of becoming an astronaut. Long Island is a long way from space. Kids like him, growing up in working-class families, seldom left the neighborhood. But with the encouragement of teachers and mentors, Mike ventured down on a path that took him to Columbia University and to MIT. It wasn't easy. There were academic setbacks and disappointments aplenty--and NASA turned him down three times. Still, Mike never gave up. He rose to each challenge and forged ahead, inching closer to realizing his boyhood dream. His love of science and space, along with his indomitable spirit and sense of teamwork eventually got him assigned to two missions to fix the Hubble Space Telescope--as a spacewalker.
Spaceman takes readers on Mike's unlikely ride from Earth to space, showing the breathtaking wonder of science and technology along the way.
"Mike Massimino is a spaceman through and through. In this edition for young people, he tells us how hard work can take you out of this world. He believes in teamwork, and he never gives up. Prepare to be inspired." --BILL NYE, SCIENCE GUY and CEO, THE PLANETARY SOCIETY
288 pages, Hardcover
Published April 7, 2020
5 people are currently reading
68 people want to read
About the author
Mike Massimino
14 books212 followersMike Massimino served as a NASA Astronaut from 1996 until 2014 and flew in space twice: STS-109 on space shuttle Columbia in March 2002 and STS-125 on space shuttle Atlantis in May 2009 – the final two Hubble Space Telescope servicing missions. Mike became the first human to tweet from space, was the last human to work inside of Hubble, and set a team record with his crewmates for the most cumulative spacewalking time in a single space shuttle mission. Mike has a recurring role as himself on The Big Bang Theory; appears regularly on late night talk shows, news programs, and documentaries; and is a much sought after inspirational speaker. He received his BS from the Columbia University School of Engineering, and his two MS’s and Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He currently lives in New York City where he is an engineering professor at Columbia and an advisor at the Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space Museum.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
December 22, 2020
#45/52 2020 books. I read this book at the urging of my 9-year-old daughter, who reads a LOT of books but had never before pleaded so emphatically that I read one she loved. The way in which she encountered the book says a lot about the author’s effectiveness reaching STEM-minded children in a relatable way: Astronaut Mike had recorded a special video specifically for children at her elementary school as a special treat while school was shut down in the spring due to Covid (of note, the video wasn’t a sales pitch - she only learned of this book when she was inspired to research him further).
The book is written perfectly for young adults. The author makes himself incredibly relatable with stories from his childhood, admissions of his own shortcomings, and concise, impactful tales of the hard work he had to invest time and time again to achieve his dream. He demonstrates the value of pursuing genuine interests (e.g., human factors engineering) rather than simply trying to force oneself to do the things it seems everyone else has done to achieve a goal, and his story also repeatedly reflects how remaining true to oneself ultimately pays off (e.g., by being selected for coveted roles due to an innate sense of humor). He doesn’t shy away from admitting when things scare him (such as certain elements of walking outside the Hubble), when things are challenging for him (such as learning to think of himself as a qualified leader), or when he’s made mistakes (such as his initial reaction to a highly consequential stripped screw). He also repeatedly underscores the value of being a team player, whether it’s supporting others or knowing when to seek help himself. Overall, the messages are empowering and supported by example, all embedded within a fascinating, well-paced story.
I’m sure things are a bit sugar-coated for the book, particularly for the young adult edition, but I never once got the impression that Massimino was anything but genuine in his writing. And that’s a massive accomplishment that is especially important for reaching the target audience. Speaking further to the subject of target audience, I sensed that this book would appeal to a wide range of ages. Older or more space-savvy readers will appreciate the details of certain sections (e.g., the 117 screws and the challenges presented on Massimino’s final Hubble mission), while younger readers can still follow the general story arc, even if some of the details may be lost on them. I also appreciated that the author’s non-space experiences are given significant coverage. As the parent of a child who dreams of supporting the space program as a robotics engineer, I was grateful to find myself reading a book that celebrates and explores a lot of ground-based science that underlies the space missions.
Overall, I would highly recommend this book to readers of any age. It’s so inspiring and relatable that it’s easy to forget that it’s written by one of the most accomplished people on our planet...and therein lies its genius.
The book is written perfectly for young adults. The author makes himself incredibly relatable with stories from his childhood, admissions of his own shortcomings, and concise, impactful tales of the hard work he had to invest time and time again to achieve his dream. He demonstrates the value of pursuing genuine interests (e.g., human factors engineering) rather than simply trying to force oneself to do the things it seems everyone else has done to achieve a goal, and his story also repeatedly reflects how remaining true to oneself ultimately pays off (e.g., by being selected for coveted roles due to an innate sense of humor). He doesn’t shy away from admitting when things scare him (such as certain elements of walking outside the Hubble), when things are challenging for him (such as learning to think of himself as a qualified leader), or when he’s made mistakes (such as his initial reaction to a highly consequential stripped screw). He also repeatedly underscores the value of being a team player, whether it’s supporting others or knowing when to seek help himself. Overall, the messages are empowering and supported by example, all embedded within a fascinating, well-paced story.
I’m sure things are a bit sugar-coated for the book, particularly for the young adult edition, but I never once got the impression that Massimino was anything but genuine in his writing. And that’s a massive accomplishment that is especially important for reaching the target audience. Speaking further to the subject of target audience, I sensed that this book would appeal to a wide range of ages. Older or more space-savvy readers will appreciate the details of certain sections (e.g., the 117 screws and the challenges presented on Massimino’s final Hubble mission), while younger readers can still follow the general story arc, even if some of the details may be lost on them. I also appreciated that the author’s non-space experiences are given significant coverage. As the parent of a child who dreams of supporting the space program as a robotics engineer, I was grateful to find myself reading a book that celebrates and explores a lot of ground-based science that underlies the space missions.
Overall, I would highly recommend this book to readers of any age. It’s so inspiring and relatable that it’s easy to forget that it’s written by one of the most accomplished people on our planet...and therein lies its genius.
November 9, 2021
In this young adult adaptation, astronaut Mike Massimino tells his story of growing up in Long Island as a space-obsessed kid, to losing that dream of going to space, to finding that dream again and performing two spacewalks. This book is great for anyone interested in space; Massimino provides lots of detail about what it takes to become an astronaut (including how to brush your teeth in space), and shares interesting behind-the-scenes details about NASA (how do astronauts prepare for working in space?). But all along the way, Massimino shares even more important messages about teamwork, learning from mistakes, facing your fears, and never giving up. His road to becoming an astronaut was not easy, and at many times it looked as if he would fail. But Massimino found strength in hard work and in the support of others. This book is a page turner (even for someone not as familiar with the details of being an astronaut), inspiring, and relatable. We might think of astronauts as practically superheroes, but Massimino shows the everyday worries, obstacles and successes of the person inside the space suit.
May 11, 2022
Author and astronaut, Mike Massimino wrote this amazing book, " Spaceman (Adapted for Young Readers): The True Story of a Young Boy's Journey to Becoming an Astronaut."
Not only does he share his dreams of becoming an astronaut, he explains to readers how he accomplished his goals and more to get there. Want to take a trip into space? This book will take you there and explain in Massimino's wonderful and easy to understand writing style, what it was like for him and his crew.
I highly recommend this story for a perfect read aloud at home or in the classroom.
Not only does he share his dreams of becoming an astronaut, he explains to readers how he accomplished his goals and more to get there. Want to take a trip into space? This book will take you there and explain in Massimino's wonderful and easy to understand writing style, what it was like for him and his crew.
I highly recommend this story for a perfect read aloud at home or in the classroom.
October 11, 2020
I am actually employed at my dream job but I do have another dream job in mind. I would love to be an astronaut and travel into space. Maybe even walk on the moon and live on Mars. Until that time comes, I will have to satisfy the space urges with book about astronauts. This book was very good and proves that dreams are never out of reach!
April 6, 2022
I am not interested in space, but picked up this book when it was assigned to my daughter. Fascinating! I loved the author’s mixture of humor, scientific fact, and personal reflection. “No matter how bad things appear, remember, you can always make them worse.”
August 9, 2023
I just love space. This was a magnificent and inspiring book. I admittedly glossed over some of the more detailed scientific explanations, but I don't think anything was lost to me as a result. What shines out to me about his story is his grit, his curiosity, and the value he put on teamwork.
December 29, 2024
Okay man wtf. I didn't realize this was an adapted version of Massimino's book. It was so good, wonderfully written. Literally fueled a big chunk of my freshman year of high school, pretty much got me into aerospace and everything. Well damn now I need to read the main book. I'm grown now.
August 25, 2020
This mostly focuses on astronaut training - and spacewalks! It’s mostly a lot of fun, and only occasionally gets bogged down in acronyms and science-y stuff. Good stuff.
November 7, 2021
Very inspiring.
June 23, 2022
A great autobiography for young adult readers. His descriptions of being in space actually gave me goosebumps.
May 17, 2024
I read this book with some of my students in a book club and they LOVED it!!
December 30, 2024
I wish more memoirs would be adapted for young readers, because my son got a lot out of learning about the hard work that went into Mike Massimino becoming an astronaut.
February 17, 2023
This was such a good book. Mike Massimino inspired me to pursue engineering. I hope that he writes more books that I will read.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews