About the Author

Susan Okie has known Sally Ride since they were students together at Westlake School. She remembers her as a "fleet-footed fourteen-year-old with a self-confident grin" who was her academic rival. They have remained close friends, even though their lives have taken them in different directions. Susan Okie also attended Swarthmore College and later went to Radcliffe, from which she graduated with a degree in biology. She received her M.D. from Harvard Medical School in 1978. She now works as a medical journalist for the Washington Post.

Reviews

★ "Ride's zest for the adventure [of space flight] comes through clearly, making this a book that can be read aloud to young children, please an adult, or inspire anyone in between." -- School Library Journal, starred review"The book succeeds in helping us imagine the unimaginable--what it really feels like to blast off in a rocket and float effortlessly in midair while circling hundreds of miles above the earth." -- The Washington Post Book World"This book is an important contribution to all that has been written about space travel, for it is a vivid description of the human side of exploring the unknown." -- The Chicago Tribune"An engrossing account of a space journey, gives intimate details [of life] on board the shuttle. A personal approach to what too often seems too far away, this will inspire young readers with the heights of adventure to which an interest in science can take ordinary people like themselves." -- Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, University of Chicago, Starred Review

"Ride's zest for the adventure [of space flight] comes through clearly, making this a book that can be read aloud to young children, please an adult, or inspire anyone in between." -- School Library Journal, starred review"The book succeeds in helping us imagine the unimaginable--what it really feels like to blast off in a rocket and float effortlessly in midair while circling hundreds of miles above the earth." -- The Washington Post Book World"This book is an important contribution to all that has been written about space travel, for it is a vivid description of the human side of exploring the unknown." -- The Chicago Tribune"An engrossing account of a space journey, gives intimate details [of life] on board the shuttle. A personal approach to what too often seems too far away, this will inspire young readers with the heights of adventure to which an interest in science can take ordinary people like themselves." -- Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, University of Chicago, Starred Review