ALA Booklist (Sat Sep 01 00:00:00 CDT 2018)

With a computer less powerful than today's handheld calculators, Apollo 8 was the first manned spacecraft to leave Earth's orbit and circle the moon. Sandler captures Apollo 8's significance on many levels with astonishing details and storytelling. Beginning with an overview of the Cold War and subsequent space race, he explains how Apollo 8's original mission (to test a lunar lander capsule) was quickly changed to orbiting the moon, when the CIA learned that the Soviets were developing their own moon rocket. After introducing the three-man crew of Apollo 8 and the Saturn V rocket that would launch them, Sandler focuses on their flight, "the riskiest mission yet," emphasizing that even the tiniest error could have trapped the astronauts in space forever. As the crew of Apollo 8 broadcast live from space on Christmas Eve 1968, they not only accomplished scientific and historical firsts but united the U.S. in wonder as a turbulent year came to an end. Stunning photographs, including the now iconic Earthrise, bring this awe to a new generation.

Horn Book (Mon Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2019)

In 1968, Apollo 8's astronauts orbited the moon, paving the way for the 1969 Apollo 11 mission that fulfilled President Kennedy's vision of landing a man on the moon. Sandler's primary narrative is exciting, with dramatic archival photographs in both black-and-white and color. An engaging and informative volume, published on the mission's fiftieth anniversary. Source notes included. Bib., ind.

Kirkus Reviews

In one of the most turbulent years in modern American history, the Apollo 8 mission to the moon served as a desperately needed morale boost for Americans.Sandler explains the historical significance of the mission in the broader context of the Cold War space race and the tumultuous events occurring in the United States. In 1968, the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy, riots in major cities across America, and growing protests against the Vietnam War left Americans needing something good to believe in. NASA's mission to orbit the Earth in Apollo 8 and test a lunar landing module was scheduled for the end of the year, but this changed when the CIA discovered the Soviet Union planned to send its own mission around the moon. That would be another crucial victory for the USSR in the space race that began in 1957. Sandler describes how NASA decided Apollo 8 would be the first manned trip around the moon and offers a detailed chronicle of the difficult mission and the crew who successfully completed it. The book is abundantly illustrated with archival photographs, and a highlight of this informative, engaging text is Sandler's discussion of the iconic Earthrise photograph and how it "became a symbol of the Earth's fragility, a reminder of just how small and insignificant the Earth's place in the universe truly is."In its 50th-anniversary year, a compelling account of the historical significance of a lesser-known space mission. (photos, source notes, bibliography) (Nonfiction. 10-14)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

The Apollo 8 mission unfolds within the broader context of history in this expansive photo-filled volume that focuses as much on the journey into space as it does the events unfolding back on Earth. Sandler provides an overview of world events preceding the mission, including the Vietnam War, the Cold War, the space race, and social and political protests. First-person descriptions from the astronauts recount their lift-off, their first viewing of the Earth rising, and their journey to the dark side of the moon. Beyond the vivid minute-by-minute details of the voyage itself, the volume explores the colossal impact of the mission on the American psyche. For many, Sandler explains, the images of Earth from space served as -a symbol of the Earth-s fragility, a reminder of just how small and insignificant the Earth-s place in the universe truly is.- Ages 10-up. (Oct.)

School Library Journal (Sat Sep 01 00:00:00 CDT 2018)

Gr 5 Up-Climb aboard the mission to the moon that paved the way for the future of space exploration. In 1957, when the Soviet Union launched Sputnik into Earth's orbit, the space race had begun and the United States was losing. In response, NASA was created and, by 1961, President John F. Kennedy made exploring space a priority. Many missions, both manned and unmanned, were launched in the years that followed. In 1968, the three men onboard Apollo 8 were quite literally going where no man had ever gone before: around the moon. Sandler's work is full of detailed research and descriptions of the space race and provides readers with the context needed to understand why Apollo 8 was such a momentous event. The main narrative is broken up with profiles of significant individuals and concepts. Sandler traces mankind's curiosity about the moon from ancient mythology to the 1960s. Full-color photographs enhance nearly every page and offer readers a greater understanding of this revolutionary mission. VERDICT An out-of-this-world exploration of the space raceand a must-have for most nonfiction collections. Kevin McGuire, Woodland Hills School District, PA