Suzanne Slade’s award-winning free verse and Thomas Gonzalez’s stunning illustrations tell the "captivating" true story of NASA’s effort to land the first man on the Moon.

★ "Elegant and informative.” ―Booklist, STARRED REVIEW

★ "Captivating...well-researched...stirring.” ―Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW

★ "Truly out of this world.” —School Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW

A patriotic testament to American grit and ingenuity, Countdown presents exhilarating, informative, and accessible free verse by award-winning author Suzanne Slade paired with historic photographs and detailed illustrations by New York Times bestselling illustrator Thomas Gonzalez. Together, they capture the gripping historic story of NASA's 20th century efforts to conquer a new space frontier.

Through triumph and tragedy, success and failure, an entire nation is glued to the high-stakes, 2,979-day mission as 18 astronauts climb into spacecraft; three men die before even leaving the ground; eight rockets soar into space; and 400,000 people―engineers, technicians, scientists, mathematicians, and machinists―join Project Apollo in pursuit of making a dream a reality.

A necessary purchase for all STEM and space enthusiasts.

Awards:

Best Children’s Books of 2018 ―Smithsonian Air & Space Magazine
Recommended Space Books for Kids ―The Planetary Society
Booklist Top 10 Sci-Tech Books for Youth
Best STEM Books ―ASEE / ITEEA / NSTA / SEPA / CBC
Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12 ―NSTA / CBC
Parents’ Choice Gold Award

Also by Suzanne Slade:
Dangerous Jane
Mars Is