The Astronaut Diaries

Gr 3-6–Andi is an 11-year-old passenger on the International Space Station (ISS) with her astronaut parents, older brother Perri, and dog Douglas. Her diary is filled with mini reports on the science of rockets, space travel, and the ISS for her teacher on Earth. If she learns enough, she can move on to astronaut training. Her diary breaks down the science of traveling to and living on the ISS, including all aspects of daily life. Author Cristoforetti is a European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut. Her passion for space is evident throughout, while scaling information to an age-appropriate level. The book closes with color photographs of her in space and on the ISS; she is the “true” Andi behind the diary. The book doesn’t shy away from technical terms and uses grayscale illustrations, ranging from cartoony spot art to detailed diagrams, to parse information, incorporating recent program additions like SpaceX Dragon rockets.