Have you ever heard of the “Mercury 13”? Neither had I, until I discovered the book, Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream by Tanya Stone. This book tells the extraordinary story of 13 female aviators who attempted to become the first group of women to enter space during a time when women were thought of as just pretty housewives. The story takes place in the early 1960’s, and although I know things were much different then, I was astounded to read about how these capable pilots faced discrimination just because they were women.

Many people opposed even the idea of training women to be astronauts, so when testing began to see if the “Mercury 13” could endure the challenge of space flight, things were kept top secret. I think you will be as shocked as I was to read about the different tests these 13 women went through to prove females have what it takes to enter space. One test that sent chills up my spine was freezing water injected into the inner ear, causing vertigo. They also had to do things like drink radioactive water and float in an isolation tank for 9 ½ hours! They passed the tests with flying colors, but once word got out, people were outraged. The perspective remained that women belonged at home and not in space.

You’ll have to read the book yourself to find out what happens, but I will tell you that the situation becomes a fight for equal rights and brings out many injustices. I really enjoyed this book because it’s a true story about women daring to dream. This story also revealed to me a valuable lesson about daring to dream and that is: A dream can come true in many different ways, sometimes not the way one envisions it, but almost always, the courage to dream brings forth some sort of inspiration and hope, for ourselves and others. So live your dream and be inspired by this amazing book!

~Reviewed by Ms. Shelley Olin

Review of Apples and Pumpkins by:  Anne Rockwell

Illustrated by:  Lizzy Rockwell

There’s nothing to me that says “Fall” more loudly than a pumpkin.  As soon as I see that big display of pumpkins at my grocery store, I start feeling a little chilly and warm at the same time.  I love the feel and smell of fall.  I love the chilly mornings when I can wear my favorite soft sweaters, and I LOVE to make my 2 favorite pies:  pumpkin and apple.

This book brings my 2 favorite kinds of pies together.  The people in the book are wearing cozy sweaters, and there are the colors of fall leaves all through the book.  Everything fun that happens in fall is in this book.  The family drives to a country farm to pick apples and pumpkins.  My favorite page is the little girl picking the best pumpkin, the only one that’s waiting just for her.  My next favorite page is the dark page with a glowing funny face that they carved into that perfect pumpkin.  Ooh, I can just smell the seeds roasting in the oven!  On the last 2 pages, there are a lot of great ideas for Fall Trick or Treat costumes.

Whether you’re just learning to really read books on your own, you have a little sister or brother you like to read to, or you have someone who just loves to cuddle up and read to you, this is a super picture book to take home or back to your classroom to get you ready for the sights and smells of my favorite season.  It’s right around the corner.  So, what are you waiting for?  Go check out a book about Fall!

Reviewed by:  Kelly Hocking (“Ms. Kelly”)

Finding Buck McHenry

by Alfred Slote A Harper Trophy book, copyright 1991

This book has it all — mystery, history, drama, engaging characters and a heart-warming plot. It all begins when eleven year old baseball player and baseball card enthusiast Jason Ross gets cut from his Little League team. A school custodian, Mack Henry, was watching the practice game where Jason didn’t beat out the throw to first base. When Jason returns the bases to the school, Mr. Henry shows him how he could have beat out that throw. Then Jason takes the initiative, although bitterly disappointed, to recruit other “rejects” for the new expansion team for the league.

The new team is being formed because TV sports broadcast star has moved to town with his eleven year old daughter Kim, and he wants to have a team where she can play. It turns out Mr. Henry’s grandson Aaron has moved to town also and just happens to have a great arm. Jason recruits exactly two other players for the new team, and they are Kim and Aaron. He also finds out that Mr. Henry used to play for the old Negro Leagues and learns about a world he never knew existed. Mr. Henry agrees to be their coach and their team is on the way.

Jason seeks more knowledge about the Negro Leagues. He learns about the greats of days gone by who never got a chance to play in the majors. He sees an old Negro League baseball card and becomes convinced that Mr. Henry is the great Buck McHenry, one of the greatest baseball players who ever lived. Mystery and history merge effectively in this page turner of a book. The friendship of these three children is one of the important elements of this book. Kim is now living with her father after his recent divorce in a huge, empty house. Aaron has suffered a tremendous loss in his life and has lost all his joy in living.

Can these 3 kids and a school custodian put together a competitive team in the Little League? Can Kim compete with the boys? Can Aaron find his way back into the world? Can Jason solve the mystery of the great Buck McHenry? This book gives children a chance to learn more about friendship, baseball and fairness while reading a great book. This is a great book for boys and girls to enjoy. Finding Buck McHenry also makes a great family read-aloud. When my own son was in elementary school, I read it aloud to his class. I highly recommend this for Barrow Buddies!

~Reviewed by Jan Mullins~