I Love You, Michael Collins

Description

It's 1969 and the country is gearing up for men walking on the moon. Ten-year-old Mamie's class is given an assignment to write letters to the astronauts, and she is the only one who writes to Michael Collins, the astronaut who doesn't get to walk on the moon because he has to stay with the ship. After school ends for the year, Mamie keeps writing to Michael Collins, taking comfort in telling someone about what's going on with her family. One by one, they each leave her thinking that someone else is taking care of her - until she is all alone except for her best friend, Buster, who lives next door. As the launch nears, everyone in the country is on the edge of their seats: Will the mission be successful? For Mamie, there's even greater turmoil, and she can't help but wonder: Does no one stay with the ship anymore?

Lauren Baratz-Logsted is the author of more than 25 books for adults, teens, and children, including the popular nine-book series The Sisters 8, which she created with her husband and daughter. Before becoming a writer, Lauren was an independent bookseller, Publishers Weekly reviewer, freelance editor, sort-of librarian, and window washer. She lives in Danbury, Connecticut, with her family and their cat, Yoyo. She still remembers watching the astronauts land on the moon. laurenbaratzlogsted.com

"Baratz-Logsted weaves in just enough history to root Mamie's story in her time, a moment when a nation came together and felt proud of human possibilities. . . . Readers will be charmed by Mamie's story of hope in a difficult moment in American history." --Kirkus Reviews "Against the highly gendered backdrop of 1969 (all the girls want to marry astronauts, while the boys want to become them), Mamie's friendship with her neighbor Buster is particularly moving. Mamie and Buster share a fixation on the space race, and Buster remains loyal and constant even as Mamie's parents' conflict erupts. Mamie's isolation at home echoes Collins's solitude in orbit a bit too neatly, but her bravery and loyalty are memorable." --Publishers Weekly