How Do You Burp in Space?: And Other Tips Every Space Tourist Needs to Know

Gr 4–6—Aimed at readers who will be part of the first generation of true space tourists, this breezy guide offers general advice about how to prepare for the trip, what to pack, what food and accommodations are going to be like, and suitable recreations both in Earth's orbit and on the Moon. Keeping the tone light, Goodman mentions hazards from vacuum to carbonated drinks (burping in microgravity brings up more than just CO2), intersperses her narrative with amusing or inspirational comments from astronauts and space scientists, and closes with leads to print and Web resources that are well chosen to turn armchair travelers into the other sort (when technology finally catches up with demand, that is). To the accompanying broad array of space and astronaut photos Slack adds goofy cartoon images of figures or spacecraft-sometimes actually within the photos themselves. Aside from an inaccurate claim that "most spacecrafts' engines work only in space," and a vague reference to the danger of an "occasional galactic ray," the information, some of which is drawn from talks with astronauts, reflects either actual conditions and experiences in space or credible speculations about the near future of recreational off-planet outings.—John Peters, Children's Literature Consultant, New York City