What a fun spin to an already fun adult read! Roach displays the same frankness and wry sense of humor as in her book for the grownups while making the science even more accessible. Another success from one of our best science writers!

Loved this one. Mary Roach is a favourite non fiction writer so to find a kid's book by her is a gem. As always, she writes well and directed to an audience who wants to learn more but maybe doesn't necessarily need all the nitty gritty details or hard to read scientific writing. Down to earth and easy to understand while still being very entertaining.

Packing for Mars for Kids is the type of nonfiction that classrooms need. It was well-written, relatable, and knowledgable. Readers will be engaged with the problem-solving focus of the text coupled with the occasional humor and helpful photography. I'm eager to share it with students!

Very fun, engaging, and accessible. My space obsessed students will love reading this because of the interesting concepts related to space travel and of course the restroom issues and references.

I love Mary roach! I read stiff many years ago and saw her speak in SF and she’s very charming. And this book is equally charming and has a lot of fun facts for kids- the pictures and anecdotes are perfects for kids who are interested in space and astronauts.

This was such a fun book to read! Mary Roach adapted her best-selling book into a fun format for middle grade readers that is full of informative and funny facts. She discusses the history of astronaut technology and the answers to questions that kids find most important- How and what do astronauts eat? How do they go to the bathroom? Can they take showers? And, most importantly, how can farts be deadly in space???😂

Full of pictures and first hand experiences, this is a unique look at astronauts and space! I recommend it for ages 9-14😀

Thanks to @netgalley and @nortonyoungreaders for the arc❤️

This information-packed book will captivate middle grades readers as it explores the most unmentionable parts of space travel. From showers to toilets, journalist Mary Roach tackles all the delicate aspects of astronaut life in her signature, highly readable style. The photographs are interesting, but as they are all black and white and many are dated, young readers might not find them as engaging. Some caregivers may not be comfortable with all the discussion of poop and farts, but many kids will find it hilarious and informative.

*Thank you NetGalley and publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review*

This was chock-full of interesting information about how space travel came to be, as well as behind the scenes of how scientists make space exploration and basic life functions easier for astronauts. Definitely a must-read for kiddos interested in space travel and/or astronauts!

My son loved this book! I mean there was a section about ‘barfing on the ceiling’ what boy wouldn’t love that? There was so much cool information all through the book with nifty pictures too!

This middle grade adaptation of the author’s Packing for Mars provides readers with insight into how space travel impacts the basic functions of the human body. Readers who think that space travel and astronaut life is glamorous might think again after reading Roach’s book! The questions that most appeal to young readers are explored in this book through discussions of gravity, eating, and bodily functions. Roach presents information in an accessible, engaging way, explaining the challenges astronauts faced and how engineers worked to address them. This book would be great as a companion to a fiction book about space.

Loved the adult book and the kids version is even better since I am not as smart as I would like to pretend I am.

This was a pretty informative and very funny book. However my only problem with this “kids” book is that one paragraph near the end mentions how an astronaut had suicidal thoughts….. I don’t think that should have been mentioned or described the way it was, in a kids book. Besides that one paragraph, like I said before it was pretty insightful and also hilarious from the way astronauts had to find and test different “bathroom procedures”, to the hazards that even crumbs from their food could cause.

I definitely walked away from this book with a lot more space/NASA fun facts than I thought I would!

Great information for all ages. This book answers ALL the questions that we may have been to embarrassed to ask. Fun book.

I've developed an even deeper appreciation for early astronauts after reading this. The practical challenges of space travel are myriad and very challenging to solve. I'm in awe of what those first volunteers endured because, frankly, it doesn't sound easy now, and that's after 50+ years of experience and improvements!

This would be an interesting enrichment book for middle school students. It doesn't really cover a critical science knowledge area, but it would be good reading practice for kids working on reading for comprehension and interest. The subject matter is quite gross, but the prose is very readable and the "ick" factor might actually be enough to get a reluctant reader interested. This would be a nice addition to school and community libraries.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!

I have thoroughly enjoyed every book I have read by Mary Roach. The research she undertakes is amazing, and the manner in which she presents these science topics makes me want to read more about science.

PACKING FOR MARS FOR KIDS is a wonderful introduction into the life, research, and living conditions astronauts face each and every day. Yes, the questions we all have are answered in this book. Adults have the same questions, but kids are most likely to ask them. It is fascinating to read the struggles early astronauts faced with tasks we do every day without even thinking about. I also found it very interesting how NASA scientists work to design, create, and test items for astronauts in order to provide the astronauts with nutrition, hygiene issues, etc.

What is the greatest challenge for a rocket scientist? It turns out it is the human body. In seven chapters, crackling with curiosity and packed with surprising information, Roach opens our eyes to the many startling, impressive, and odiferous challenges space travel poses to astronauts and the engineers tasked with getting them off the earth. Packed with facts and unforgettable anecdotes, the slim volume is also beautifully organized and tightly written: moving from gravity, through what it’s like to fly, eliminations of all kinds, eating, hygiene and the kind of roommate issues that result from very small rooms. Lots of photographs, interviews, and startling transcripts of what mission control really says to astronauts, enliven an already fascinating text. Happily the focus is not entirely on bodily discomfort, as Roach elegantly frames the exploration of human space travel with the Monglofiers first balloon ascent and ends with Benjamin Franklin’s telling quote on that escape from gravity – an assessment as apt for travel to Mars as it was of our first attempt to rise above the soil. While there are strangely no sources or bibliography in this version of an adult book modified for children, much of the text is made up of directly attributed quotes, transcripts and personal experience. Many thanks to Norton and NetGalley for an e-ARC in return for an honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley and W.W Norton & Company for the ARC of this!

I absolutely love Mary Roach and the tone of her books, and read the adult version of this myself and loved it. I was very excited to share this kid’s version with my 8-year old who has shown an interest in space. This hit all the right notes with her and we had days that she wanted me to read aloud more chapters than my voice was prepared to cooperate with. She especially liked hearing about how astronauts poop in space and space food. Definitely a fun look at the difficulties of being an astronaut, I recommend this for all space fans who could use a funny, informational, look inside space ships.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy in return for an honest review.

4.5 stars for this entertaining non-fiction. Roach did an outstanding job weaving together answers to all the questions kids want to ask about space travel and entertainment. The book was clearly well researched and an interesting look at how our bodies work in space. It was also particularly interesting to learn about how scientists prepare for trips to space.

This is a cool book it answers all the weird kinda gross questions about space travel I ever wondered about and some more that it never even occurred to me to wonder about. I liked that it was funny without being too silly or relying on gross out humor, it still feels appropriately serious for the difficult work scientists do to make space travel as pleasant as possible. This is a really cool look at how our bodies work in space.

Thank you #Netgalley for the electronic advance reader copy of Packing for Mars for Kids.

As a kid I remember reading Mary Roach's essays in the Reader's Digest. She was always funny. I've read other books of hers as an adult and found myself entertained not just with the information she presents, but with her curiosity and interest in even the most mundane details. She asks the questions that normally go unasked. For example, in this book she tells of interviewing astronaut Jim Lovell about skin oil and dandruff, and notes his bemused observation that her questions aren't typical space station fare. As a kid her questions and way of looking at the world reflected my own curiosity; as an adult, I'm still drawn in by her approach.

In a series of concise and entertaining chapters, Roach explores where the quotidian meets outer space. The one topic that she skipped that would have fit naturally alongside explorations of bathing, farting, eating, and using the restroom in space, would be menstruation. But otherwise, the narrative is bursting with interesting information about living in space and is visually punctuated with photographs. Beyond just simple hygiene and body functions, she even covers the mental stresses of being in space: the limited company and limited resources available. I really enjoyed the range of topics combined with the humorous and conversational approach.

Would recommend for those curious about how astronauts live their lives.

Note: there was no backmatter in the eARC, which I would hope would be included in the final edition of the book.