ALA Booklist (Wed Jul 01 00:00:00 CDT 2009)

Just as rocket science works from the ground up, Ottaviani tracks the history of man's first flight to the moon from its very inception. Starting with dreamers as far back as the 1880s and moving through the scientists and astronauts of later years, T-Minus is a fictionalized graphic-format examination of the race for the moon. It is loaded with historical and technical information, but effective as both a human drama and a recollection of a bygone era, when everybody from children listening to Sputnik's signal on the radio to President Kennedy himself were caught up in space-age wonderment. The weight of the narrative falls on the dedicated scientists both in the U.S. and Russia, and the early Soviet victories provide a fine opportunity to bring out the two cultures' differing ambitions, work ethics, and notions of heroism. Crisp, precise black-and-white art and page compositions that invoke historic newsreels, along with footnotes and a fact page (including suggestions for further reading), make for a solid docudrama feel in the style of Nick Abadzis' Laika (2007).

Horn Book (Thu Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2010)

This graphic novel highlights the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo space programs while contrasting them with the parallel Russian achievements, creating a palpable sense of suspense about the moon race. The black-and-white cartoons and panel layouts provide cohesion among the multiple settings, numerous characters, and technical information. An author's note explains how the story deviates from historical record. Reading list, websites.

School Library Journal (Tue Sep 01 00:00:00 CDT 2009)

Gr 7 Up-Beginning 12 years before the lunar landing, this book chronicles the competition between the United States and the Soviet Union through a catalog of both countries multiple attempts on the road to manned spaceflight. Organized as a countdown, making the outcome seem inevitable, the frequent, prominent sidebars list a type of rocket, the duration of its flight, and whether the mission was a success or a failure. There are more than 30 attempts chronicled, and the shift between Soviet and U.S. successes creates an interesting balance in the narrative. Ottaviani credits the early Russian successes to chief designer Korolev, and his influence and personal vision fill the first half of the book. The American portion of the narrative lacks a parallel central architect, with the text focusing less on process and more on the majesty, beauty, and peril of simply being in space. The story is necessarily condensedthe author notes that approximately 400,000 people worked on the U.S. projects overallbut plentiful information is provided in the numerous panels and explanatory captions per page. The copious detail will appeal to some, and certainly helps to underscore the meticulous research that went into this undertaking. Ottaviani is particular with facts and eager to inspire readers with regard to the scientific process. Benjamin Russell, Belmont High School, NH