- Publisher: Linda Colwell
- Publication date: 13 April 2026
- Language: English
- Print length: 38 pages
- ISBN-10: 1972766015
- ISBN-13: 978-1972766019
- Reading age: 10 – 14 years
- Part of series: So You Want To Be A…
- Grade level: 3 – 6
- Genre: Children’s Books on Jobs & Careers
The BookViral Review:
Few childhood ambitions capture the imagination quite like becoming an astronaut. Yet many books stop at celebrating the dream itself, offering broad introductions to rockets, planets, and famous space missions. So You Want To Be An Astronaut takes a different route. Rather than presenting astronauts as larger-than-life heroes, Linda Soules shows what the job actually involves. They emerge as scientists, engineers, problem-solvers and teammates whose achievements are built on years of study, discipline and determination.
Written for readers aged ten to fourteen, the book never talks down to its audience. Scientific concepts are explained clearly without losing their substance, while the combination of concise text and vibrant illustrations keeps each section engaging. Chapters explore life aboard the International Space Station, the demands of spacewalks, astronaut training and the realities of living and working in orbit. By the final page, readers have gained a genuine appreciation of what the career demands rather than simply why it fascinates.
What impresses most is the book’s willingness to tell the whole story. The excitement of launch, the wonder of weightlessness and the breathtaking view of Earth are all here, but so too are the years of preparation that make those moments possible. Physical fitness, academic excellence, teamwork and emotional resilience are presented not as optional qualities but as essential ones. Rather than making space exploration seem effortless, Soules shows why so few people ever reach orbit. That honesty gives the book real authority.
The visual presentation deserves equal praise. Every spread is filled with colourful illustrations that do more than decorate the page. They help explain difficult ideas, bring spacecraft and equipment to life, and encourage readers to linger over the details. The layout is equally effective, breaking information into manageable sections that make the book easy to dip into while still rewarding those who choose to read it from beginning to end.
Another strength is the way the book widens a reader’s understanding of space exploration. Astronauts may be the focus, but equal attention is given to the engineers, mission controllers, scientists and medical specialists whose work makes every mission possible. Young readers quickly realise that reaching space depends on thousands of people working together, opening the door to careers they may never have previously considered.
The book also finds room for quieter moments that stay with the reader. Its description of viewing Earth from orbit is not simply about spectacular scenery but about perspective. The fragility of our planet, the absence of borders from space and the emotional impact many astronauts describe all add another dimension to the subject. Those passages give the book a depth that extends beyond facts and figures, reminding readers that exploration changes not only what we know but also how we see our place in the universe.
So You Want To Be An Astronaut succeeds because it balances inspiration with realism. It feeds curiosity while making it clear that extraordinary achievements are built through knowledge, preparation and perseverance. Beautifully illustrated and consistently engaging, it is the kind of book young readers are likely to return to as their understanding of science grows. For anyone who has ever looked up at the night sky and wondered what lies beyond it, Linda Soules provides an informed, encouraging and thoroughly absorbing guide.
It is an unreservedly recommended Golden Quill read!
