It’s no secret I’m a space lover. If you follow we on Facebook and Twitter you know that half my posts are about space. Lots of kids love space, too. There are oodles of lists of space picture books. There are even whole lists of Pluto picture books. While picture books aren’t just for little kids, older kids crave more. More information, more depth, more excitement. There are lots of great books for the 4th-8th graders but there aren’t many lists to help you find them. This post goes out to my fellow space-lovers just looking for a good book to read.
These books are my top picks for 4th-8th graders. I love a true story told well. All of these books are nonfiction but most are written as engaging stories, rather than textbooks. They’ll let you experience what it’s like to roam the red planet, Mars, or sit on Earth sweating bullets when things go wrong far out in space.
The Might Mars Rovers by Elizabeth Rusch
The tale of the Mars Rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, two rovers that were only supposed to work for a couple of months but kept going for years. (Mighty, indeed.) Along the way they taught us a lot about Mars and about problem solving.
Welcome to Mars: Making a Home on the Red Planet by Buzz Aldrin and Marianne Dyson
Buzz Aldrin wasn’t just the second man on the moon, he’s also a space researcher who is helping to plan the first mission to put people on Mars. This book will tell you all about what it will be like to be one of those first few Martian pioneers.
A Black Hole is Not A Hole by Carolyn Cinami DeCristofano and Michael Carroll
This book is a fascinating read about black holes, quite possibly some of the coolest (and scariest) things in our universe. Black holes hold our galaxy together and have such strong gravity that they can even bend light.
Team Moon: How 400,000 people landed Apollo 11 on the Moon by Catherine Thimmesh
Lots of books will tell you about the astronauts that went to the moon. This is the only book that tells you about the seamstresses that sewed their suits or the photographer than taught them to take those amazing photos. This book is all about the people who made it possible for the astronauts to go to the moon.
This beautifully illustrated books tells the story of every mission that took men to the moon. If you’ve ever wondered what it was like to go to the moon, this is the book for you.
There you have it. Five of my favorite space books written just for middle grade students.Do you have a favorite one to add?
My daughter loved Stella and the dark matter mystery