One Small Step

by P.B. Kerr

It's 1969, and thirteen-year-old Scott is doing all the things that normal boys do -- and also flying airplanes with his Air Force flight instructor father. When Scott successfully crash-lands a training plane, NASA takes notice. They hope to recruit him for their top-secret space program, which will launch a test flight to the moon before the first lunar landing. This craft was intended to be piloted by chimps, but one chimp had to be dismissed, and now they need a quick substitute -- who better than a boy aviator?

Soon Scott is on his way to the NASA training facility. There he's surprised to discover just how clever and competent the chimps are -- they're able to control the flight simulators like regular astronauts do. The chimps are more like humans than Scott ever imagined, so why, then, did one of them go crazy? Is there something about this mission that NASA isn't telling him?

G-forces collide with government secrets as Scott races to prepare for his journey to the moon. Brimming with nonstop action and adventure, this is the story of a courageous young man who dares to follow his dream.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Space, Young Adult, Animals, Adventure, Science Fiction

320 pages, Hardcover

First published June 2, 2008

About the author

Also writes as Philip Kerr.

Philip Kerr (P.B. Kerr) was a British author of both adult fiction and non-fiction, most notably the Bernie Gunther series, and of children's books, particularly the Children of the Lamp series.

Kerr was educated at a grammar school in Northampton. He studied law at the University of Birmingham from 1974–1980, achieving a masters degree. Kerr worked as an advertising copywriter for Saatchi and Saatchi before becoming a full-time writer in 1989. He wrote for the Sunday Times, the Evening Standard and the New Statesman.

Reviews

[hannah marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't expect this book to be that good, but WOW am I surprised. It's been on my bookshelf for AGES, and I don't like sci-fi stuff so I put off reading it. But now I guess I've learnt never to overlook a sci-fi book again.

This book is a historical sci-fi factual fiction based on the moon landing (fact) and a secret mission beforehand that Scott is involved in (fiction). A lot of this book has key facts about the moon landing mission (set to take place after Scott is part of a test-flight to the moon), as well as the training that astronauts have to undergo before being sent into space.
It also talks a lot of planes and rockets which sometimes bored me because of the key terminology that I just DIDN'T understand (I'm not very good at maths and science), but that's my fault.
At parts the book was quite slow, and the chapters were overly too long but I got through it and as soon as the actual mission took place the pace quickened significantly.

I'm just so surprised that I actually enjoyed and wanted to continue reading this book, and it's seriously made me reconsider my original thoughts about science fiction. To be fair, this was a historical read too, based in 1960s America which I think made it more interesting, but I'll definitely check out more books in these genres from now on! I recommend you try this book out, because it surprised me and it might just surprise you too :)

[Knute · Rating 5 out of 5]

From reading all the reviews, it seems that most folks are not familiar with science fiction. I have been an SF and space enthusiast all my life [and I'm 63!] and IMHO, this book is a wonderful addition to YA SF; a great intro to the genre, if one can accept the wonder and 'suspension of disbelief' needed for these kinds of reads. If you liked this book, you should try some of Robert A. Heinlein's "juveniles:" 'Have Spacesuit, Will Travel,' 'The Starbeast,' 'Rocketship Galileo,' are fine tales in the same vein. Heinlein, as a Navy man, and mechanical engineer, chose real subjects to base his stories on, for example, 'Time for the Stars' explored the effects of time dilation; "The Door into Summer,' the process of designing as a engineer. Similarly, the author educates the reader about aero/astronautics throughout. Mr. Kerr should be proud that this novel is in the neighborhood of such a giant of SF as RAH. The historical references are a bonus; I picked up that 'Mr. Brown,' when he first visits Scott was Dr. Wernher von Braun. Nice touch! A keeper. Highly recommended!

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

One Small Step, by Philip Kerr, is a historical fiction book about a 13 year old boy named Scott. After crash-landing a military training jet with his father unconscious, he is recruited by NASA to be the pilot on a top-secret mission to the moon. The crew was originally all chimps, but one refused to go so they got Scott. He and his two crewmen Choo-Choo and Benny the Ball set off on the first lunar landing to make sure it is safe for the other astronauts who will be making the first official landing later that year. Scott is a boy who is very determined, and also compassionate. I think the theme of this book is that persistence is key. If you persist at something you love, good things will come out of it. I would give this book a four out of five because it was good, but there were a lot of slow parts that lost my interest.

[Lee Bitzer · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book is about a young boy named scott who wants to become a aviator like his dad and is set in 1969 and also uses the air forces training stimulators for practice but then when scott crash lands a plane successfully NASA takes notice and try's recruiting him for there space program to the moon and he accepts the invitation and is thrown into the NASA training facilities. during his training he meets his teammates for the mission 2 chimpanzees there were supposed to be three but one went berserk and had to taken out of the mission and as scott spends more and more time with the chimpanzees he realizes they are more human than animal and makes scott wonder what NASA is really up to...

I really like this book because it is a concept i never heard before 1 boy and 2 chimpanzees going into space is mind boggling to me. it also has a lot more action and suspense than i expected from this book and it all blends well together to make a amazing book

[Gretchen Faskas · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I first read a synopsis of the book and looked up the author, I thought how in the world could a writer from England write anything about Texas or space exploration? However, this book took historical elements from the days of the great space race, as well as his own dreams of being an astronaut and combined them into an awesome story. If you have an interest in space, history, or just like a good-hearted happy story, I highly highly recommend "One Small Step"

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted more about the chimps (whom we didn't even begin to meet until p. 128) and less about flying airplanes, less about dicks, puke, & shit, less about keeping secrets from Mom. Very much the kind of book a dad, trying to be better, could get persuaded to read to his son. At least the guys here didn't like hunting.

[Jacob Schiessl · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book One Small Step by P.B. Kerr is about three main characters. Their names are Scott, Scott's father, and Kit, Scott's best friend. This story takes place in 1968, in Houston Texas. Scott has a talent for flying planes. Scott's dad has taught Scott many things about flying. He was a member of the air force in World War 2. Scott, at the age of 14 can fly a army plane solo. P.70 "Scott, you have lots of potential. You are a great flyer. I believe in you Scott." The word is getting around about his young talent. One day the president shows up at Scott's house. The president wants to know if Scott wants to go up into space with 2 chimpanzees. The NASA has been training 6 chimps to go up into space. Scott gets to pick someone to help him train, and he picks his best friend Kit. Kit and Scott have to go around the USA to different places to train. Day after day Scott is exhausted from all of the work outs. Scott is not sure how much longer he wants to do this for. P.180 "I'm not sure if I can take this kit. Everyday I go to sleep tired and have more work outs the next day." He is starting to think that this is not going to be worth it. Scott decides to man up and stay committed. Finally comes of the day of liftoff. Scott is traveling to the moon with two chimps called Choo-Choo and Benny. Scott's liftoff goes perfect and they are on the way to the moon. Scott is going to be the first person to the moon with animals. Scott and the chimps are almost on the moon. As they land on the moon Scott cant believe what is happening. He is about to be the first person to walk on the moon. When the ship finally lands Scott takes the first step one the moon. P.252 "You see so much up here. There are so many things that you see that you could never imagine from earth." Scott called the crew back at Houston and said, This is just "One Small Step."

[Jennifer Wardrip · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reviewed by Sarah Bean the Green Bean Teen Queen for TeensReadToo.com

Scott MacLeod is about to become the youngest astronaut in NASA, only no one is supposed to know about it. His mission is a secret one that not even NASA will talk about or the other astronauts know about.

It all started when Scott's dad, who is an Air Force pilot, started teaching Scott to fly. Scott is only twelve, so when he is able to crash land an Air Force plane, one he shouldn't have even known how to fly, NASA takes notice.

NASA is trying to land a man on the moon, but many things could go wrong and there are still lots of questions that need to be answered before that ambition can really take off. So, before the real astronauts left on the Apollo missions, NASA had been sending secret test missions into space. These missions, which used chimps as astronauts, were called Caliban.

When the chimp pilot for the latest Caliban mission goes crazy, NASA recruits Scott to fly the shuttle. The shuttles are made smaller, so who better to pilot them than a twelve-year-old boy? But, NASA has secrets about the training of the chimps and Scott isn't sure he can go along with the mission as planned.

Several times during the reading of this book, I had to remind myself that this was fiction and not a true story. There is a lot of adventure, from Scott's Air Force flying to the space program. There is a lot of technical jargon as well, dealing with Scott's training and then his mission in space, which might turn off some readers. If you're a fan of space exploration this book provides an interesting perspective on the 1960's space race.

[Karen Ball · Rating 3 out of 5]

Author of the Children of the Lamp series, Kerr tackles the Space Race of the 1960's in this one. Scott's dad is an Air Force pilot who teaches others to fly the top jets and trains astronauts. His mother hates flying and the war in Vietnam, and so Scott's parents separate -- he tries living with her in Florida, but ends up happily living with his dad just outside of Houston. Scott turns out to be a gifted pilot, and his dad teaches him to fly not only the prop plane they own, but also secretly takes him up for lessons in the military jet training plane. After a bird strike on their plane which leaves his dad bloody and unconscious, Scott manages to land the jet back at the base, and this brings him to the attention of Dr. Werner von Braun and the group running the Apollo space flights. There's a secret test program, set up to try out the space flights with living creatures before the actual Moon landing, and one of the chimps involved has become violent and unmanageable. Since the test vehicles are half the size of the manned versions which will go up later, they need a smaller pilot to go with the other two chimps. And so Scott is secretly trained to be the astronaut pilot on the first mission to the moon! This is a perfect example of the idea of "willing suspension of disbelief" -- you'd love to think this stuff could really happen! Some mild language and discussions of *ahem* how to poop in space... Fun and inventive, and a good "guy" story. Great for anyone interested in space, for 6th grade and up.

[Paul Lunger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Philip Kerr's "One Small Step" deals with the fictional scenario of NASA running test missions during the 1960s era of Gemini, Mercury & Apollo with chimps prior to the actual humans making the trip. This is the story of Scott MacLeod a 13 y/o who by a twist of fate and an safe landing of a plane his father is teaching him to fly who gets recruited into NASA to replace an chimp who is not co-operating on a mission that will take place prior to the actual launch of Apollo 11 in July 1969. Kerr's story is an easy read & is primarily gauged for the middle school aged reader & above & offers a plausible enough story that makes this seem entirely possible. The attention to detail from the planes, to the locations, to the launch is done with great accuracy & we the reader experience the excitement of Scott's journey with chimps in tow to the moon. Overall an enjoyable read that captures an innocence lost at times in the race for the moon some 44 years ago.

[Salsabrarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wild fantasy guaranteed to appeal to the aspiring young space traveler and any young person who yearns to be free of the limitations of being a kid. Thirteen-year-old Scott has learned to fly from his Air Force father but frustatingly, he's not old enough to get a pilot's license. When he pulls off an emergency landing after his father is knocked unconscious in an accident, it draws the attention of NASA brass. Will is recruited to attend astronaut school and participate in a secret test lunar landing to precede Apollo 11. (He's recruited because of his apparent flight smarts and he can fit better inside the Caliban 11 rocket than a full-sized man.) Despite some obvious weak points--Will's mother is told he's participating in an exchange program in Scotland and she falls for it. And NASA recruiting kids? As if!--it's a great trip of a read, made all the more convincing by the author's research and command of flight technology.

[Brigid · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a really interesting book...until the whole "moon experience" part. That completely threw me for a loop, and by the time I was halfway through the conversation with "the voice" I was bored. The only thing I really liked about the moon experience was that Benny became more intelligent. Also, the ending was a little cheesier than I would have liked.

Even though I have never flown an airplane, the descriptions of how everything worked were perfect and I could easily imagine what was happening.

I think overall it was a very good concept (a 13-year-old boy and two monkeys on a secret moon mission), but it traveled so far off-topic that it was confusing and a little boring.

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

So far I think it is a very good read. It gets a little slow in the middle but I think it will be worth it. It is definitely a subject I know nothing about. The story unfolds around the 1960s NASA space missions. Of course it is a little unbelievable since the main character is only 13 years old and has been asked to be part of a moon space mission. But that is probably also what makes it a wonderful adventure story.Ok so I wish it would have remained an adventure story, but it becomes something else at the end. Scott and Benny, the Chimpanzee, encounter something on the Moon that has an effect on them and changes Benny forever.

[Teresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Though this is a bit long at 320 pp, it races right along. Although I read it a few years ago, the major plot points are still vivid: It's 1969, and thirteen-year-old Scott lands a jet when his Air Force flight instructor dad takes ill; Scott is just the right size to step into NASA's secret chimpanzee space program, since one of the chimps has gone rogue in the eleventh hour. Scott's estranged parents don't agree on his flying, so everything has to be secret from his mom. Once Scott starts training with the remaining chimps, the book gets into the whole ethics-of-primates-in scientific-research issue -- and why DID the original chimp bail? An exciting page turner, with lots to discuss.

[Addison Children's Services · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this one up because it sounded Alex Riderish �?? boy selected by NASA to be shot to the moon on a secret practice mission. It is not Alex Rider. All the passion, tension and excitement are missing. I didn't really care whether the boy, Scott, lived or died. A much slower read than Alex Rider and I thought rather difficult to follow, especially for our target age group. The historical fiction aspect was kind of fun for me as I am exactly the same age as Scott. I worry a little that kids today, so far removed from this time period (1969) will miss the fiction part and think there is more truth to this story than there is.

[Lynn Alan Heath · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was greatly imptressed with the authenticity of this novel. I can remember the moon landing and subsequent walk on it in July 1969, I was 13 myself just like Scott in this book. I am aware of the many "bogey" sightings although I have no idea what they are. I was disappointed though in the way P. B. Kerr described the voice as being God or what was thought to be a god or an angel or vision, but in reality was an alien presence. It was also quite discouraging to find man and chimpanzees being regarded as descendants. I do not believe in macroevolution. It is a theory which is contradictory to certain known laws of science.

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was really good! I would definitely consider this a "boy book" at my library. The whole story about a 13 year old boy going to the moon with two chimps makes for interesting reading. I got a little bored with all the in-depth descriptions of the fighter jets, airplanes, and what was going on in the space shuttle, but I think kids (especially boys) would be enthralled with those parts. Overall, I thought this was a great book with an interesting spin on the unanswered questions from the 1960's space missions.

[C.O. Bonham · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book really would have rated higher except for the first ten pages of the last chapter (pages 240-257). Within these ten pages the author takes the book in a weird direction that has nothing to do with whatever historical foundation that it might have had. The introduction of this "Alien Intelligence" took me right out of the story and shifted it from an amusing take on history to a cleaverly disguised push for "New Age" beliefs. The new reasoning is droped completly out of the blue with references to "2001: Space Odessey" as the only "hint" (if that) of what might be coming.

[10-11 Adrian · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about a boy who likes to fly airplanes.This boy is a good kid only his parents are sort of seperated.One day he goes to where his dad lives.While he is with his dad he starts to learn how to fly a plane.He and his dad make sure his mom doesn't find.His mom dislikes a lot of what the boy does.One day the boy gets the chance to go into space.Now his life will change forever.

[Kassie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Such an interesting book....the kids will love this one, very informative (especially about the questions no one wants to ask)!!! Definately recommend this to all YA readers!!! and I say, YA, because of the swearing only!!!!

[Blhughes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Students with an interest in science or space exploration would love this book. Much detail.

[Nance · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting historical fiction book about the space program

[Kimberly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Appropriate for older boys (not mine). Too many references to Playboy. Children of the Lamp series by this author is great, though.

[Lindsay · Rating 1 out of 5]

My comment about this novel is that shortly after finishing this I saw the teaser trailer for Transformers3: Dark Side of the Moon...maybe Bruckheimer and Speilberg took a look at this novel...

[Suzy-Q · Rating 4 out of 5]

A technical, Sci Fi/historical adventure about a 13 year old boy taking the place of a space chimp to be the first American crew to successfully land on the moon.

[Annette · Rating 4 out of 5]

It would never happen, but I liked the idea. Fun to read and fun to consider.

[Tjala · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was OK, I finally finished it, the start was really slow but it got better!