Review: 'Almost Astronauts' by Tanya Lee Stone

Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream by Tanya Lee Stone, 2009, Candlewick Press, $24.99, hardbound, 133 pages. Cover: pretty cool. Category/Genre: reference/history. Where we got it: borrowed it. Where you can get it: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Books-A-Million.

This is the true and inspiring story of the Mercury 13 women, who were the first women ever to be trained as astronauts.

Without Randolph Lovelace, the doctor who put the Mercury 7 men through their testing, this likely would not have happened, at least not for a while. But Lovelace believed women are as capable as men, and he had a desire to prove it.

The first was Jerrie Cobb, a pilot who'd broken world records; she fared so well in the testing that it was thought she'd not only do well in space, she would excell there. After her came 18 other women, all pilots and go-getters, all fit. Including Cobb, 13 of the women passed the tests with flying colors.

In this book, you'll learn about some of the grueling tests all astronauts go through, and you'll learn how it was particularly hard for these women – not because they were weaker, but because of the negativity they had to face. One of them was filed divorce papers after testing, and another's boss demoted her.

If you want to read about real bravery and perseverence, try this book.

If you like this one, try: Women of the Wind: Early Women Aviators, by Wanda Langley.

For more about Tanya Lee Stone and her many books, check out her website at: http://www.tanyastone.com/. She writes non-fiction (often about women or African-Americans), teen fiction, and picture books. 

You can follow Tanya Lee Stone at: https://twitter.com/tanyaleestone or Like her on Facebook. 

You can buy Tanya's books via her website, on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or Books-A-Million.

Review: 'A Career as an Auto Mechanic' by Tamra B Orr

A Career as an Auto Mechanic by Tamra B Orr, 2011, Rosen Publishing, $35.51, hardbound, 80 pages. Cover: good. Category/Genre: how-to. Where we got it: borrowed it. Where you can get it: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Books-A-Million.

Aimed at high school students, this book is an invaluable resource for teens (or anyone, really) who want to pursue a career as an auto mechanic.

Orr lists the kinds of classes you'll need to take while still in high school – math, English, and science (including electronics, computer technology, and physics), plus any classes or workshops on car maintenance and repair or small engine work – and gives you an idea of how to get a head start on your career.

There are certification tests you can take, which will help you become a more skilled mechanic, and which will help you find a better job. After high school, Orr suggests either community college or a post-secondary vocational school.

It's also a good idea to check out the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence online (www.ase.com) for lots of great information about your chosen career. Orr has a number of other resources at the end of the book, plus a handy glossary.

This is a great book for any guy or girl interested in auto mechanics.

If you like this one, try: Suggestions? 

Tamra Orr's books may be purchased at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or Books-A-Million.

Review: 'Women of the Wind' by Wanda Langley

Women of the Wind: Early Women Aviators by Wanda Langley, 2006, Morgan Reynolds Publishing, $26.95, hardbound, 160 pages. Cover: good. Category/Genre: Reference/History. Where we got it: borrowed it. Where you can get it: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Books-A-Million.

Between the historic first flights of Orville and Wilbur Wright and the breaking of the sound barrier by Chuck Yeager, there were many pilots willing to risk their lives flying the rickety, open-cockpit planes of the time. Some of those pilots were women; this book reveals the stories of nine of those women, some of whom set more than one record, some of whom died in flight, and all of whom serve as an inspiration, not only to women and young girls, but to the men and young boys who are interested in aviation.

Naturally, Amelia Earhart is in this book; but here you'll also find Harriet Quimby, the first woman to receive her pilot's license in the U.S.; Bessie Coleman, the first African American woman to fly a plane; Ruth Nichols, who used aviation to help people; and others.

Black-and-white photographs accompany the text, and each aviator gets her own timeline. 

If you like this one, try: Almost Astronauts, by Tanya Lee Stone.

Find Wanda Langley's books on Goodreads and PaperBack Swap; there's also a biography on Encyclopedia.com.