Next July marks the 50th anniversary of the historic first moon walk.  The televised event made our world stop for a moment and marvel at this stunning achievement. TO THE MOON AND BACK is an in your face way to commemorate the anniversary with a fabulous accounting of the events by Buzz Aldrin. It’s especially appropriate for the intended audience—a generation that wasn’t born yet when the big event occurred

The pages are filled with amazing pop-ups and thrilling remembrances of the adventure. I smiled and said “wow” more than once. It begins with an introduction and images of the astronauts and the front page of a newspaper proclaiming that man is on the moon. Turn the page and astronaut Buzz Aldrin pops out attached to the Gemini capsule. He tells of the training he went through to prepare for the trip. The memories are fun to read, especially with the full color reminders of how amazing this event came to be.

Next comes a Saturn Rocket stretching out 15 inches! Gifted Paper Engineer Bruce Foster must have had fun creating this one. You will also see Apollo 11 in all its glory come alive on the surface of the moon and the splashdown.

But these beautiful pictures would be stagnant without the story. Astronaut Aldrin gives insights to what it was like being a part of what historians call humanity’s greatest adventure. In addition to the story told on the page, five pull-out panels cover The Space Race and Aldrin Family Reflections. All are insightful and full of fun facts.

Finish up by building your own Apollo 11 Eagle Lunar Module. Perfect for the hands-on learner.

TO THE MOON AND BACK will take up a special spot on your bookshelf or coffee table and make an awesome gift for any potential space explorer. You just have to see it to believe it. In fact, take a peak in this quick video:

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Coming up next week is another MARVELOUS MIDDLE GRADE MONDAY.

If you would like to join in the MMGM fun, all you have to do is blog about a middle grade book you love on a Monday (contests, author interviews and whatnot also count–but are most definitely not required) and email me the title of the book you’re featuring and a link to your blog at gpcolo (at) gmail (dot) com

 (Make sure you put MMGM or Marvelous Middle Grade Monday in the subject line so it gets sorted accurately–and please don’t forget to say what book you’re featuring) You MUST email me your link by Sunday evening (11 PM Eastern Time) in order to be included in the list of links for the coming Monday.

Thank you so much for being a part of this awesome tradition begun by Shannon Messenger and for spreading the middle grade love!

*Please note: these posts are not a reflection of my own opinions on the books featured. Each blogger is responsible for their own MMGM content and I do not pre-screen reviews ahead of time, nor do I control what books they choose. I simply assemble the list based on the links that are emailed to me.