Endurance, Young Readers Edition: My Year in Space and How I Got There

"Occasionally amusing, rarely fresh, this expands the author's picture-book account, My Journey to the Stars (illustrated by André Ceolin, 2017), without adding much significant. (Memoir. 10-16)"

Gr 6 Up--Kelly spent a year in space onboard the International Space Station (ISS), but that is just one of his incredible achievements. Kelly and his twin brother Mark are both celebrated space travelers, but they did not journey the same path, and Kelly does a wonderful job of detailing his rockier start. Good grades and success seemed far away when he first picked up a copy of Tom Wolfe's The Right Stuff; Kelly was failing his premed classes and was directionless when he read Wolfe's account of the hardships early astronauts endured. The narrative details heartaches, tragedies, close calls, and his time onboard ISS. Kelly's story is relatable and the plot mostly focuses on showing young people the amount of hard work he had to do to achieve his dream, while simultaneously making sure readers understand that it's never too late to start a new path. Photos are included throughout. VERDICT An engaging and high-flying read for nonfiction and space lovers alike. A fine addition to large nonfiction collections.--Traci Glass, Multnomah County Library, OR

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Praise for Endurance

"Captivating, charming . . . [Kelly] pulls back the curtain separating the myth of the astronaut from its human realities." -- The New York Times Book Review

"[Endurance] is a memoir of the right stuff that will hypnotize any space geek." —The Wall Street Journal

"Endurance, with its honest, gritty descriptions of an unimaginable life, a year off Earth, is as close as most readers will come to making that voyage themselves." —The Financial Times

"Kelly's account is insightful, at times humorous, heart-tugging at others. And it's inspiring enough to change the life of some lost kid, just like The Right Stuff did for him." —USA Today

"For space junkies, it's absolutely required reading. . . . We feel as though we're right there with him. A great book." —Booklist

"This isn't your usual astronaut's memoir." —The Philadelphia Tribune

Praise for My Journey to the Stars

"Kelly's account firmly underscores the rewards of dedication to one's dreams." —Publishers Weekly

"Kelly's story is an inspiration for adventure, fodder for space fascination, and a call to work hard and follow one's dreams." —Booklist

"[Will] inspire a new generation of space -travelers." —School Library Journal