Rocket! How a Toy Launched the Space Age
Published by Crown
Hardcover (1995): 0-517-59628-8

Rocket! picks up where Airborne left off—at the edge of space. In telling the story of the development of rockets, I focus on the career of Robert H. Goddard, the American physicist who, in the early 1900s, discovered that simple fireworks could be improved to launch cargo and people into space. He was never able to do it himself, but he spent the rest of his life paving the way for others.

Reviews

"This clearly written, beautifully designed book launches young scientists on a journey through physics, from Newton's laws of motion to the successes of the space shuttle program.... The target audience may be middle readers, but public librarians may want to buy a second copy for the adult collection. Rarely has physics been this interesting and approachable." —Booklist

"Rocket-lovers ... will surely love this well-documented reference book.... Beginning with a line from General Andrew Jackson at the Battle of New Orleans in January 1815—'Don't mind these rockets, boys. They are mere toys to amuse children!'—and ending with the Space Shuttle, Maurer describes the development of the rocket alongside stories of the scientists and dreamers who were part of this amazing technological marvel." —The Montreal (Canada) Gazette

"An interesting and informative introduction to the history of modern rocketry." —School Library Journal