I enjoyed reading Astronauts by Jim Ottaviani and learned a lot while I was reading it! I would definitely hand this graphic novel to students who enjoy space and nonfiction graphic novels, especially those dealing with history. Hand to students who enjoy Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales.

Astronauts is another home run for Ottaviani and Maris Wicks! I've read a fair number of books on space and astronauts for middle graders, but this was the first I can remember to focus on the women of space. I loved the focus on multiple women and how the space race played out for women. I've purchased this for my library and will suggest it to many!

Astronauts: Women on the Final Frontier is a graphic novel that follows the story of women in space told through the slightly fictionalized perspective of Mary Cleave. Beginning during Mary’s childhood, the book charts the changes that happened within the space program that eventually allowed women to not only become astronauts but serve in many other vital roles as well.

The story primarily follows the American space program, but several sections focus on the Soviets, specifically around the time that Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman in space. It follows not only the personal journeys of women like the Mercury 13, Sally Ride, and Mary Cleave herself but also the political challenges that faced women in the early years of the space program. This means that Astronauts can be a frustrating read at times, but knowing there will be a positive outcome by the end makes it easier to push through these moments where the urge to throw the book at a wall and scream about the patriarchy is at its highest.

Astronauts was a really interesting read that succeeded in teaching me lots about these amazing women while never becoming dry and dull. The art style is cute and cartoony, using bright colors that really catch the eye and add to the feeling of fun and excitement throughout this story of exploration and determination. It will appeal to anyone interested in space, women in STEM, and will be an ideal gift to any young, budding astronauts.

Jim Ottaviani and Maris Wicks have written a book in Astronauts that is educational, inspirational and entertaining. The narrative is told through the point of view of Mary Cleave, astronaut and Science Mission Directorate as NASA. Astronauts begins by describing the initial push to send women into space, including Valentina Tereshkova in the USSR and Jerrie Cobb and Jane Briggs Hart in the United States. While the Russians saw the advantages to training a female cosmonaut, the Americans encountered blatant sexism as committee after committee came up with reasons to bar them from the training programs. Yet, once Sally Ride and others were admitted they took on key roles and have become an integral part of the space program.

I loved this book! The art. The depth. The science. There were several different arcs in the narrative that created an excellent pacing for the introduction of the main participants in the story. And the detail in these parts of the story is exactly what is needed for young people, all people for that matter, to latch on to this history. The key to this book is the depth. There is no dumbing down of the science or the story.

Astronauts belongs in all middle and high school libraries. Young women in STEM curriculums will eat this up, and it will bring more young people to science and tech careers. I already talked to the librarian and physics teacher at my school about this book!

Go to Macmillan’s page here to see sample art, ordering info, and author social media contacts.

5 out of 5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley, FirstSecond, and the authors for an advanced copy for review.

A nonfiction graphic novel about the historic journey to space for women. The book looks at the first women who trained as astronauts and cosmonauts, and then follows the journey of Mary Cleave, one of the first American women to go into space, through her path to NASA, her training, and her experiences in space and afterward.

I know there is a book called Almost Astronauts that tells the story of the 13 American women who tested and trained to become astronauts but never got to go into space, but I’ve never read it. This book also touches on their story (though I’m sure Almost Astronauts goes into greater detail, and how they paved the way for women like Mary Cleave to actually go into space. I like that this book tells the story from the idea of women going into space through to present day. It was a great idea to extensively interview Mary Cleave and tell the story as if from her perspective since she was there pretty early in the time period when they decided to actually send women to space and then went on to a leadership position in NASA which she held until 2007. Her space career spanned the majority of the shuttle era of space flight. You get a good taste for what is involved in astronaut training and mission planning, what going into space is like, what they do in space, and what can follow a flight. She also talks a lot about what it was like to be some of the first women astronauts and the challenges they faced. I’ve read a couple books on space flight, but none have covered the shuttle era much and certainly not the journey of women into space. Most of them focus on the Apollo missions or first people in space. This was very informative and eye-opening. I’m definitely buying a copy for our library and recommending this to science buffs, biography fans, graphic novel fans, and students with their eyes on the skies or who like to dream big. A great read for middle grade on up.

Notes on content: One minor swear word. No sexual content. (They share the story of how many tampons male scientists initially estimated that women would need for a 10 day space flight, but it is just funny and not awkward or anything. How space toilets are used is also discussed but it is very well done and doesn’t show anything.) Space disasters are mentioned, but not shown.

I received an ARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I always appreciate a good non-fiction graphic novel for younger readers and Astronauts is no exception. I found it really informative, with a lot to take in, and presented in a way not to overwhelm the reader. The art is wonderful and friendly. I do wish there was more about modern day astronauts but I did love the photo/art last few pages. The transitions between stories and eras could have been a little smoother but they're not impossible to understand. As far as age range, I'd say this straddles the higher end of middle grade and the lower end of young adult.

I really enjoyed this non-fiction graphic novel about the first women in space. It included a lot of detail about what these women had to accomplish and overcome to become part of NASA and astronauts.. It definitely had a lot of historical information written in a way that I'd hand this to 10 and older. Hopefully this book will prompt children to read more about each individual woman mentioned in this book. Perhaps it will also inspire the next generation of female astronauts!

Meet the first women to travel into space in this nonfiction graphic novel that has big appeal for Science Comics fans. Astronaut Dr. Mary Cleave navigates readers through the history of women and space travel, starting with the Soviet space program that made Valentina Tereshkova the first woman in space, and illustrates the long road American women had to take to get Group 9, NASA'S first mixed-gender class, to the stars. 

The most frustrating thing about Astronauts is reading how seemingly determined the U.S. government was to keep women out of space. The graphic novel tells multiple stories from different points of view; the Mercury 13 and Women in Space Program both ended up going nowhere, while the Soviet Union focused on sending just one woman - Tereshkova - into space. (And she didn't even tell her mother before she went.) It's disheartening to read that science journalists imagined conversations between women - female scientists - and Mission Control consisting of, "this little thingamabob has jiggled off the gizmo". Even when NASA got it together and began recruiting women for the space program for real this time, their concerns about dress codes and complete ignorance of basic physiology left me frustrated and even more determined to get my STEM/STEAM programming firmly entrenched here at my library. The second half of the book, focusing more on Mary Cleave's space shuttle missions and NASA training, are a welcome relief. There are some great and hilarious anecdotes throughout, and Mary Cleave's love for space exploration and science comes through, making me hopeful that this book will inspire many, many kids. There are references, a bibliography, and working sketches.