Author: José M. Hernández

Description:

Every night when he was a boy, José M. Hernández would look out the window and stare at the stars. They were different blue, yellow and white. Some were larger and brighter than others, and some twinkled as if they were alive. Later, when he saw man land on the moon on TV, he knew he wanted to be an astronaut. But José struggled in school because his family moved constantly and he didn’t speak English. His parents were migrant workers from Mexico; they followed the crops up and down the state of California. José was in second grade when his teacher convinced his parents to stop migrating and stay in the United States. She also encouraged his love of astronomy, books and learning. José became an electrical engineer, got married and had a family, and though he was very happy, he never stopped thinking about his dream. So he applied to NASA to become an astronaut. His application was rejected eleven times, but he kept applying. He was finally selected for astronaut school and achieved his dream when he flew on the Space Shuttle Discovery to the International Space Station! With beautiful illustrations by Steven James Petruccio, this heartwarming, bilingual picture book will introduce children ages 5-9 to the concept of space travel. The author’s story is sure to motivate kids to set goals and reach for their own dreams.

Author: Linda Trinh

Description:

I, Anne Nguyen, believe in ghosts.

In Book 1, organized and introspective nine-year-old Anne Nguyen misses her Grandma Nội, a lot. But even though Grandma Nội passed away, it doesn’t mean she’s disappeared. When Anne and her younger siblings are given gifts passed on to them by Grandma, Anne discovers hers—a jade bangle—has a secret power. One that might just give her the strength to stand up to her ballet teacher, who treats her differently than her white classmates, embrace her Vietnamese identity through cooking Grandma’s recipes, and realize that her ancestors are always with her.

Author: Christina Li

Description:

The only thing Rosalind Ling Geraghty loves more than watching NASA launches with her dad is building rockets with him. When he dies unexpectedly, all Ro has left of him is an unfinished model rocket they had been working on together.

Benjamin Burns doesn’t like science, but he can’t get enough of Spacebound, a popular comic book series. When he finds a sketch that suggests that his dad created the comics, he’s thrilled. Too bad his dad walked out years ago, and Benji has no way to contact him.

Though Ro and Benji were only supposed to be science class partners, the pair become unlikely friends: Benji helps Ro finish her rocket, and Ro figures out a way to reunite Benji and his dad. But Benji hesitates, which infuriates Ro. Doesn’t he realize how much Ro wishes she could be in his place?

As the two face bullying, grief, and their own differences, Benji and Ro must try to piece together clues to some of the biggest questions in the universe.