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Dream Big!: How to Reach for Your Stars
From Astronaut Abby, the dynamic founder of The Mars Generation, comes a book about dreaming big, reaching for the stars, and making a plan for success!
From the age of four, Abigail Harrison knew she wanted to go to space. At age eleven, she sat down and wrote out a plan--not just for how to become an astronaut, but how to be the first astronaut to set foot on Mars. With a degree in biology, internships at NASA, and a national organization founded to help kids reach for the stars themselves, Astronaut Abby is well on her way to achieving her dreams--and she wants to help others do the same!
In this book, readers will find helpful advice and practical tips that can help set them on the path toward finding, reaching for, and achieving their goals. With examples from Abby's own life, interactive activities to get readers going, and plenty of fun illustrations along the way, this is the perfect guide for anyone--of any age--with big dreams and plenty of determination. It's time to reach for the stars!
Praise for Dream Big! :
"With friendly encouragement . . . the content and approach are general enough to appeal both to STEM-oriented fans of the author as well as those whose interests lie in other areas . . . Fun and helpful." -- Kirkus Reviews
"Any young person who wants to achieve their dreams will find this comprehensive book helpful." -- Booklist
"The conversational style is easy to understand. . . . There are eye-catching fonts, icons, think bubbles, and callouts. . . . A recommended purchase for middle school and high school libraries. Counselors assisting high schoolers with college preparation and educators teaching leadership classes will find many of the journaling activities very useful." -- School Library Journal
From the age of four, Abigail Harrison knew she wanted to go to space. At age eleven, she sat down and wrote out a plan--not just for how to become an astronaut, but how to be the first astronaut to set foot on Mars. With a degree in biology, internships at NASA, and a national organization founded to help kids reach for the stars themselves, Astronaut Abby is well on her way to achieving her dreams--and she wants to help others do the same!
In this book, readers will find helpful advice and practical tips that can help set them on the path toward finding, reaching for, and achieving their goals. With examples from Abby's own life, interactive activities to get readers going, and plenty of fun illustrations along the way, this is the perfect guide for anyone--of any age--with big dreams and plenty of determination. It's time to reach for the stars!
Praise for Dream Big! :
"With friendly encouragement . . . the content and approach are general enough to appeal both to STEM-oriented fans of the author as well as those whose interests lie in other areas . . . Fun and helpful." -- Kirkus Reviews
"Any young person who wants to achieve their dreams will find this comprehensive book helpful." -- Booklist
"The conversational style is easy to understand. . . . There are eye-catching fonts, icons, think bubbles, and callouts. . . . A recommended purchase for middle school and high school libraries. Counselors assisting high schoolers with college preparation and educators teaching leadership classes will find many of the journaling activities very useful." -- School Library Journal
304 pages, Paperback
Published January 19, 2021
6 people are currently reading
27 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
June 21, 2021
Abigail Harrison chose to dream big from the very first moment she decided to be an astronaut. At the age of four or five, she dreamed of being the first person to walk on Mars. She spent her childhood focusing on that one dream, putting herself in line to learn all she could about Space, and doing her best in school (especially in math and sciences). This book offers comprehensive advice to middle-grade kids that have big dreams themselves.
Abby begins with defining dreams, passions, and goals. Then with interactive chapters focused on all the steps to take, she lays out the process to achieve their dreams. The book includes activities in each chapter for kids to work through their passions, goals, steps to follow, and how to manage their time.
Abby gives kids excellent advice and doesn’t hold back on the importance of determination, perseverance, and making connections to people in the field of their dreams. She also emphasizes that there will be failures along the way and how important it is to learn from those mistakes, slip-ups, or miscalculations. I appreciated her honesty here as I see how easily kids can get frustrated at school. She strongly encourages kids to look hard at what went wrong and maybe realize, they just aren’t ready for this step yet.
“In most cases, chasing after a dream is a marathon, not a sprint.”
Abigail Harrison
I also liked how Abby focused on teaching kids to build good habits and a routine. This will not only help them with their future goals but their day-to-day life in school and for the future, no matter what they decide to do.
If you have a high-achieving or determined child, this book can help them narrow down their focus, put some plans and direction in place, and move forward in the direction of their dreams. Even though Abby had a dream to become an astronaut, this book applies to kids with all kinds of dreams including being a pro-athlete, a doctor, a teacher, an entrepreneur, or a writer. Your child can DREAM BIG and Abby will help them with the steps it takes to get achieve it!
Abby begins with defining dreams, passions, and goals. Then with interactive chapters focused on all the steps to take, she lays out the process to achieve their dreams. The book includes activities in each chapter for kids to work through their passions, goals, steps to follow, and how to manage their time.
Abby gives kids excellent advice and doesn’t hold back on the importance of determination, perseverance, and making connections to people in the field of their dreams. She also emphasizes that there will be failures along the way and how important it is to learn from those mistakes, slip-ups, or miscalculations. I appreciated her honesty here as I see how easily kids can get frustrated at school. She strongly encourages kids to look hard at what went wrong and maybe realize, they just aren’t ready for this step yet.
“In most cases, chasing after a dream is a marathon, not a sprint.”
Abigail Harrison
I also liked how Abby focused on teaching kids to build good habits and a routine. This will not only help them with their future goals but their day-to-day life in school and for the future, no matter what they decide to do.
If you have a high-achieving or determined child, this book can help them narrow down their focus, put some plans and direction in place, and move forward in the direction of their dreams. Even though Abby had a dream to become an astronaut, this book applies to kids with all kinds of dreams including being a pro-athlete, a doctor, a teacher, an entrepreneur, or a writer. Your child can DREAM BIG and Abby will help them with the steps it takes to get achieve it!
September 13, 2021
This is an outstanding book, especially for a younger audience. One of my favorite parts was definitely the interactive and workbook approach Harrison took. In addition to this being a reflective and self-discovering-styled piece, it also included inspiring quotes and short anecdotes from Abby's history. The chronological order of guiding the audience through kindling a passion that can further be pursued creates value to the words she writes. In addition to reading the personal story of how Harrison developed her passion for space, the style of writing drew me into a journey about finding my story.
One of the key lessons this book highlights is the value of being a disrupter. All of the outstanding influencers such as Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Greta Thunberg, and even Abigail Harrison herself are all disrupters. In order to be a dreamer, you MUST be a disrupter.
Do not confuse this book targeted explicitly for a younger audience. Abby's advice and style of writing allow everyone to gain something from her remarks. From finding a community to being "loud and proud" with your ideas, it is inevitable that the audience wouldn't be inspired to change the world.
Abby's advice is personable, relatable, and influential for everyone. A major advocate for personal development and having a growth mindset, learning from others, and forming connections was a major lesson threaded throughout.
For any person who has dreams, this book is a must for gaining the confidence to pursue them.
One of the key lessons this book highlights is the value of being a disrupter. All of the outstanding influencers such as Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Greta Thunberg, and even Abigail Harrison herself are all disrupters. In order to be a dreamer, you MUST be a disrupter.
Do not confuse this book targeted explicitly for a younger audience. Abby's advice and style of writing allow everyone to gain something from her remarks. From finding a community to being "loud and proud" with your ideas, it is inevitable that the audience wouldn't be inspired to change the world.
Abby's advice is personable, relatable, and influential for everyone. A major advocate for personal development and having a growth mindset, learning from others, and forming connections was a major lesson threaded throughout.
For any person who has dreams, this book is a must for gaining the confidence to pursue them.
July 18, 2021
I’ve been following Abby online for years and knew I wanted to support her career by buying her book, and I actually really loved it. I think it is an incredible resource for anyone who is trying to figure out what their dream is and all the small steps it takes to get there. It’s very interactive and has a lot of great tips, suggestions and prompts. I wish I had this book when I was a teenager, but even now it is still helpful. Definitely recommend!!
February 1, 2024
Love this woman. Great person. She flies planes and everything. She does great work for STEM and her dream is to go on Mars. If I'm on Mars, I'll gladly tell her, well come on down over, and look at the view, do you mind telling people back on Earth to stop bickering over all these wars, the "Pale Blue Dot" looks incredibly tiny from up here, and all their problems on their little planet seems insignificant in the vast Cosmos. #ChoosePeace
February 21, 2023
I guess this book is geared towards younger readers than me.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews