Books to promote STEAM in your classroom
Apollo 13
- Apollo 13 Junior Novelization* by: Dina Anastasio - > Great for whole group or small group guided reading -> Curriculum available
- Lost in Outer Space - The Incredible Journey of Apollo 13 by: Tod Olson
Astronauts
- A is for Astronaut: Blasting Through the Alphabet by: Clayton Anderson, illustrated by: Scott Brundage
- Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream* by: Tanya Lee Stone
- Astronaut - Aquanaut : How Space Science and Sea Science Interact by: Jennifer Swanson
- Astro-Not-Yets: Exploring Sound ebook by: Jessica Sain & Rachel Power, illustrated by: Cindy Bush
- The Astronaut Selection Test Book: Do You Have What it Takes for Space? by: Tim Peake & The European Space Agency
- Back to Earth- What Life in Space Taught Me About Our Home Planet - - and Our Mission to Protect it by: Nicole Stott
- Becoming a Spacewalker: My Journey to the Stars* by: Jerry L. Ross
- Chasing Space Young Readers Edition* by: Leland Melvin
- Dans la Combi de Thomas Pesquet par Marion Montaigne (french graphic novel)
- Disaster Strikes: The Most Dangerous Space Missions of All Time! by: Jeffrey Kluger
- Earthrise - My Adventures As an Apollo 14 Astronaut by: Edgar Mitchell
- Mae Among the Stars by: Roda Ahmed, illustrated by: Stasia Burrington
- The Man Who Went to the Far Side of the Moon: The Story of Apollo 11 Astronaut Michael Collins by: Bea Uusma Schyffert
- My Journey to the Stars* by: Astronaut Scott Kelly, illustrated by: Andre Ceolin
- Reaching for the Moon by: Buzz Aldrin, illustrated by: Wendell Minor
- Sally Ride - A Photobiography of America's Pioneering Woman in Space by:Tom O'Shaughnessy - Great mentor text for photobiography & resource for VTS
- Spaceman (Adapted for Young Readers)The True Story of a Young Boy's Journey to Becoming an Astronaut* by: Mike Massimino
- To the Moon! : The True Story of the American Heroes on the Apollo 8 Spaceship by: Jeffrey Kluger
- To the Stars!: The First American Woman to Walk in Space by: Carmella Van Vleet & Dr. Kathy Sullivan, illustrated by: Nicole Wong
International Space Station (ISS)
- Chris Hadfield and the International Space Station by: Andrew Langley
- Endurance: My Year in Space and How I Got There - Young Readers Edition* by: Scott Kelly
- Hello, Is This Planet Earth?: My View from the International Space Station by: Tim Peake
- It's a Question of Space: An Ordinary Astronaut's Answers to Sometimes Extraordinary Questions by: Clayton Anderson
- Max Goes to the Space Station: A Science Adventure with Max the Dog by: Jeffrey Bennett Storytime from Space Read Aloud
- You Are Here - Around the World in 92 Minutes by: Chris Hadfield - Great resource for VTS
The Moon
- American Moonshot: John F. Kennedy and the Great Space Race, Young Readers Edition by: Douglas Brinkley
- Daring Dozen: The Twelve Who Walked on the Moon by: Suzanne Slade, illustrated by: Alan Marks
- How We Got to the Moon : The People, Technology, and Daring Feats of Science Behind Humanity's Greatest Adventure by: John Rocco
- If You Decide to Go to The Moon by: Faith McNulty, illustrated by: Steven Kellogg
- Margaret and the Moon: How Margaret Hamilton Saved the First Lunar Landing by: Dean Robbins , illustrated by: Lucy Knisley
- Margot and the Moon Landing by: A.C. Fitzpatrick, illustrated by: Erika Medina
- Max Goes to the Moon: A Science Adventure with Max the Dog by: Jeffrey Bennett, illustrated by: Alan Okamoto - Storytime from Space Read Aloud
- The Moon Book by: Gail Gibbons - > Great for teaching Moon Phases
- MoonShot: The Flight of Apollo 11 by: Brian Floca -> amazing illustrations!
- One Giant Leap by: Robert Burleigh, illustrated by: Mike Wimmer
Mars
- Curiosity: The Story of a Mars Rover by: Markus Motum
- The Martian Classroom Edition by: Andy Weir -> language adapted for students
- Max Goes to Mars: A Science Adventure with Max the Dog by: Jeffrey Bennett, illustrated by: Alan Okamaoto - Storytime from Space Read Aloud
- The Mighty Mars Rovers: The Incredible Adventures of Spirit and Opportunity (Scientists in the Field) by: Elizabeth Rusch
- Packing for Mars for Kids* by: Mary Roach
- You Are the First Kid on Mars by: Patrick O'Brien
Scientists, Engineers and Mathematicians
-> Curriculum available
- Ada Twist, Scientist by: Andrea Beaty, illustrated by: David Roberts -> Download the poster for your classroom
- Always Looking Up: Nancy Grace Roman, Astronomer by: Laura Gehl, illustrated by: Louise Pigott & Alex Oxton
- Amelia Earhart (Little People, Big Dreams) by: Ma Isabel Sanchez Vegara
- Counting on Katherine : How Katherine Johnson Saved Apollo 13 by: Helaine Becker, illustrated by: Tiemdow Phumiruk
- Dream Big! How to Reach for Your Stars by: Abigail Harrison, "Astronaut Abby", Founder of the Mars Generation
- Exploring Space: From Galileo to the Mars Rovers and Beyond by: Martin Jenkins, illustrated by: Stephen Biesty
- Galaxy Girls - 50 Amazing Stories of Women in Space by: Libby Jackson
- Grace Hopper : Queen of Computer Code by: Laurie Wallmark, illustrated by: Katy Wu
- Hidden Figures Young Readers Edition* by: Margot Lee Shetterley
-> Curriculum available
- Notable Notebooks: Scientists and Their Writings by: Jessica Fries-Gaither (NSTA Kids) - Storytime from Space Read Aloud
- Path to the Stars: My Journey from Girl Scout to Rocket Scientist by: Sylvia Acevedo
- Spanish version of Path to the Stars - Camino a las Estrellas: Mi recorrido de Girl Scout a ingeniera astronautica by: Sylvia Acevedo
- Reaching for the Moon: The Autobiography of NASA Mathematician Katherine Johnson
- Rosie Revere, Engineer by: Andrea Beaty, illustrated by: David Roberts - Storytime from Space Read Aloud
- Seeing Science: An Illustrated Guide to the Wonders of the Universe by: Iris Gottlieb
- Spare Parts: Four Undocumented Teenagers, One Ugly Robot, and the Battle for the American Dream by: Joshua Davis
- Star Stuff : Carl Sagan and the Mysteries of the Cosmos by: Stephanie Roth Sisson
- What Miss Mitchell Saw by: Hayley Barrett, illustrated by: Diana Sudyka
- Women in Science - 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World by: Rachel Ignotofsky -> Great mentor text for biographies; each page features a picture and information about a woman's life
- Women in Space: 23 Stories of First Flights, Scientific Missions, and Gravity Breaking Adventures by: Karen Bush Gibson
- The Wondrous Workings of Planet Earth: Understanding Our World and Its Ecosystems by: Rachel Ignotofsky
Solar System
- Earth! My First 4.54 Billion Years by: Stacy McAnulty, illustrated by: Stevie Lewis
- The Girl Who Named Pluto: The Story of Venetia Burney by: Alice B. McGinty, illustrated by: Elizabeth Haidle
- Heart on Pluto by: Karl Jones, illustrated by: Andrew J. Ross
- Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth by: Oliver Jeffers
- A Hundred Billion Trillion Stars by: Max Goes to Jupiter : A Science Adventure with Max the Dog by: Jeffrey Bennett, Erica Ellingson & Nick Schneider, illustrated by: Michael Carroll - Storytime from Space Read Aloud
- Mars! Earthlings Welcome by: Stacy McAnulty, illustrated by: Stevie Lewis
- Mission to Pluto: the First Visit to an Ice Dwarf and the Kuiper Belt (Scientists in the Field) by: Mary Kay Carson, with photographs by: Tom Uhlman
- Moon! Earth's Best Friend by: Stacy McAnulty, illustrated by: Stevie Lewis
- A Place for Pluto by: Stef Wade, illustrated by: Melanie Demmer
- Pluto Gets the Call by: Adam Rex, Illustrated by: Laurie Keller
- Postcards from Pluto: A Tour of the Solar System by: Loreen Leedy
- Rocket Says Look Up! by: Nathan Bryon, illustrated by: Dapo Adeola
- Sun! One in a Billion by: Stacy McAnulty , illustrated by: Stevie Lewis
- Vacation Guide to the Solar System: Science for the Savvy Space Traveler! by: Olivia Koski & Jana Grcevich
- What We See in the Stars: An Illustrated Tour of the Night Sky by: Kelsey Oseid
Voyager
- Voyager's Greatest Hits: The Epic Trek to Interstellar Space by: Alexandra Siy
* Books that have a lifelong learner version.
Storytime From Space
Watch as astronauts read books while onboard the International Space Station!
Books for Lifelong Learners
This list is best suited for educators who want to learn more.
- The Apollo Murders by: Chris Hadfield - fictional
- Apollo 8 - The Thrilling Story of the First Mission to the Moon by: Jeffrey Kluger
- Ask an Astronaut: My Guide to Life in Space by: Tim Peake
- An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth by: Chris Hadfield, former ISS Commander
- The Astronaut Maker: How One Mysterious Engineer Ran Human Spaceflight for a Generation by: Michael Cassutt
- Astronaut Wives Club by: Lily Koppel -> Apollo missions from the wives' perspective.
- Back to Earth: What Life on Space Taught Me About Our Home Planet and How to Protect it by: Nicole Stott
- Bringing Columbia Home: The Untold Story of a Lost Shuttle and Her Crew by: Michael D. Leinbach and Johathan H. Ward
- The Burning Blue: The Untold Story of Christa McAuliffe and NASA's Challenger Disaster by: Kevin Cook
- Chasing Space by: Leland Melvin
- Diary of an Apprentice Astronaut by: Samantha Christoforetti
- Eight Years to the Moon: The History of the Apollo Missions by: Nancy Atkinson
- Endurance: My Year in Space, A Lifetime of Discovery by: Scott Kelly
- Failure Is Not an Option: Mission Control From Mercury to Apollo 13 and Beyond by: Gene Kranz
- The Father, Son and Holy Shuttle: Growing Up an Astronaut's Kid in the Glorious 80s by: Patrick Mullane
- Find Where the Wind Goes: Moments From My Life by: Dr. Mae Jemison
- Fighting for Space: Two Pilots and Their Historic Battle for Female Spaceflight by: Amy Shira Teitel
- The Girls of Atomic City: The Untold Story of the Women Who Helped Win World War II by: Denise Kiernan
- Handprints on Hubble: An Astronaut's Story of Invention by: Kathryn D. Sullivan
- Hidden Figures by: Margot Lee Shetterly
- How to Astronaut: An Insider's Guide to Leaving Planet Earth by: Terry Virts
- Incredible Stories from Space: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Missions Changing Our View of the Cosmos by: Nancy Atkinson
- The Last Man on the Moon: Astronaut Eugene Cernan and America's Race in Space by: Eugene Cernan and Don Davis
- Limitless: The Autobiography by: Tim Peake
- Lost Moon: The Perilous Voyage of Apollo 13 by: Jim Lovell & Jeffrey Kluger
- The Ordinary Spaceman: From Boyhood Dreams to Astronaut by: Clayton C. Anderson
- The Martian by: Andy Weir (fiction)
- The Mercury 13: The True Story of Thirteen Women and the Dream of Space Flight by: Martha Ackmann
- Never Panic Early: An Apollo 13 Astronaut's Journey by: Fred Haise with Bill Moore
- No Dream is Too High: Life Lessons from a Man Who Walked on the Moon by: Buzz Aldrin & Ken Abraham
- Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void by: Mary Roach - chronicles her experience as part of the HI-SEAS mission
- Promised the Moon: The Untold Story of the First Women in the Space Race by: Stephanie Nolen -> Tells the story of the Mercury 13 women.
- The Right Stuff by: Tom Wolfe
- Rise of the Rocket Girls: The Women Who Propelled Us, from Missiles to the Moon to Mars by: Nathalia Holt
- Rocket Boys: A Memoir by: Homer Hickman -> inspired the movie, October Sky
- Rocket Girl: The Story of Mary Sherman Morgan, America's First Female Rocket Scientist by: George D. Morgan
- Shuttle, Houston: My Life in the Center Seat of Mission Control by: Paul Dye
- A Smile as Big as the Moon: A Special Education Teacher, His Class, and Their Inspiring Journey Through U.S. Space Camp by: Mike Kersjes & Joe Layden
- Spaceman: An Astronaut's Unlikely Journey to Unlock the Secrets of the Universe by: Mike Massimino
- Spacewalker: My Journey in Space and Faith as NASA's Record- Setting Frequent Flyer by: Jerry L. Ross with John Norberg
- Through the Glass Ceiling to the Stars: The Story of the First American Woman to Command a Space Mission by: Col. Eileen M. Collins with Johnathan H. Ward
- The Ultimate Engineer: The Remarkable Life of NASA's Visionary Leader George M. Low by: Richard Jurek
- We Seven: By the Astronauts Themselves by: M. Scott Carpenter, Gordon L. Cooper
- Wonders All Around: The Incredible True Story of Astronaut Bruce McCandless II and the First Untethered Flight in Space by: Bruce McCandless III (son)
Ordering Books
- Better World Books - For every book purchased, a book is donated. It also allows you to order used books, if available. Shipping is free!
- Bookshop - Support a local bookstore by choosing the address or finding the special page. A percentage of your purchase will go to the bookstore.
- Budget Saver Books - library bound books from past ABDObooks catalogs that are highly discounted