How to Spacewalk: Step-by-Step with Shuttle Astronauts
by Kathryn D. Sullivan and Michael J. Rosen; illus. by Michael J. Rosen
Primary    MIT Kids/Candlewick    48 pp.
6/23    9781536226218    $19.99
e-book ed.  9781536232219    $19.99

Sullivan, the first American woman to complete a spacewalk, and Rosen immerse readers in the experience of being a space shuttle astronaut, with particular focus on the intense preparation for those who exit the shuttle for an Extravehicular Activity (EVA). In an upbeat tone, Sullivan accompanies “you” through an entire multi-day shuttle flight, from liftoff through daily activities, including the EVA, and then the return to Earth. Sullivan relates her emotions as well as her training, sharing her excitement and awe at being in space while simultaneously capably executing her tasks. “Nothing could prepare you for that thrill of weightlessness—AM I RIGHT? It has to be the most GIDDY, UNBELIEVABLE EXPERIENCE EVER.” Helpful diagrams and asides throughout detail equipment, including the complex spacesuits, used on shuttle flights, and the numerous photographs of NASA ground crew and astronauts, including Sullivan, show the people and technology that make EVA possible.

From the July/August 2023 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.