Godspeed, John Glenn
by Richard Hilliard
by Richard Hilliard
GODSPEED, JOHN GLENN by Richard Hilliard
Category: Non-Fiction
Age Recommendation: Grades 6+
Release Date: 10/06
Publisher: Boyds Mills Press
Reviewed by: Jennifer Wardrip, aka "The Genius"
Rating: 4 Stars
For John Glenn, becoming an astronaut seemed natural. After taking an airplane ride as a small boy, he became a Marine
Corps fighter pilot during both World War II and the Korean War. Besides the numerous medals that he won during these
wars, including being awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross on six different occasions, Mr. Glenn grew to love flying even
more than he had as a boy. This led to a job as a test pilot for experimental aircraft.
It seemed only natural that in 1959 John Glenn was chosen, along with six other men, to form the Mercury Seven--men who
would train with NASA to become astronauts. As they withstood the difficult training that they'd need before they could
ever enter into space, NASA was busy sending animals, including Ham the chimpanzee, into orbit to test the body's ability to
deal with weightlessness and other issues.
John Glenn's day finally came on February 20, 1962, when he boarded the Friendship 7 and was shot into space. After
orbiting the Earth three times, he was forced to return due to a malfunction aboard his capsule. However, that first
man-made orbit into space gave President John F. Kennedy the facts he needed to make a push for a man eventually landing
on the Moon.
GODSPEED, JOHN GLENN is an excellent illustrated biography, perfect for a middle school library or classroom. For
those students interested in space or history, this is a great book from which to gain knowledge of both.
Category: Non-Fiction
Age Recommendation: Grades 6+
Release Date: 10/06
Publisher: Boyds Mills Press
Reviewed by: Jennifer Wardrip, aka "The Genius"
Rating: 4 Stars
For John Glenn, becoming an astronaut seemed natural. After taking an airplane ride as a small boy, he became a Marine
Corps fighter pilot during both World War II and the Korean War. Besides the numerous medals that he won during these
wars, including being awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross on six different occasions, Mr. Glenn grew to love flying even
more than he had as a boy. This led to a job as a test pilot for experimental aircraft.
It seemed only natural that in 1959 John Glenn was chosen, along with six other men, to form the Mercury Seven--men who
would train with NASA to become astronauts. As they withstood the difficult training that they'd need before they could
ever enter into space, NASA was busy sending animals, including Ham the chimpanzee, into orbit to test the body's ability to
deal with weightlessness and other issues.
John Glenn's day finally came on February 20, 1962, when he boarded the Friendship 7 and was shot into space. After
orbiting the Earth three times, he was forced to return due to a malfunction aboard his capsule. However, that first
man-made orbit into space gave President John F. Kennedy the facts he needed to make a push for a man eventually landing
on the Moon.
GODSPEED, JOHN GLENN is an excellent illustrated biography, perfect for a middle school library or classroom. For
those students interested in space or history, this is a great book from which to gain knowledge of both.