Question:What happens when you take two global superpowers, dozens of daring pilots, thousands of engineers and scientists, and then point them ... read full description
reviews
Dec 27, 2011
Emily
rated it: 
T Minus chronicles the twelve years before the landing of Apollo 11 on the Moon. As the story proceeds, it counts down to the day of the lunar landing, reinforcing again and again a sense of the frenetic pace of the race to the Moon, and the urgency of the competition between the U.S. and the Soviet Union.
It's a very factual account, a sort of a Classics Illustrated-style history of this early period in spaceflight, an educational story that uses the immediacy and drama of the co More...
Nov 22, 2009
Nicola
rated it: 
Summary: Starting in 1957, this non-fiction book tells the story of the space race between the United States and Russia as they each strove to be the first to make a more impressive advancement in space technology, which started with the Russians being the first to launch a satellite into space and ended with the US being the first to set foot on the moon. The book focuses on the men and women working behind the scenes rather than the astronauts themselves.
Comments: This is a perfect More...
Comments: This is a perfect More...
Jul 30, 2009
Sueij
rated it:
Way, way cool graphic novel.
I have an astonishing new appreciation of the vast efforts and nearly impossible tasks that took place to put humans into space and on the moon. The risks. The trials. The "Space Race" with the Russians. The innovation. How far we've come.
There's a huge amount of information in the book, but it's told with enough storyline as to be clear anyway. I'm blown away by the research Jim must have done to write this. And the graphics are an i More...
I have an astonishing new appreciation of the vast efforts and nearly impossible tasks that took place to put humans into space and on the moon. The risks. The trials. The "Space Race" with the Russians. The innovation. How far we've come.
There's a huge amount of information in the book, but it's told with enough storyline as to be clear anyway. I'm blown away by the research Jim must have done to write this. And the graphics are an i More...
Jan 06, 2011
Jacki
rated it: 
Summary: This graphic novelization of the space race leading up to the moon landing, told from both the Russian and American space program's viewpoints, is tailor-made for the middle school social studies classroom.
Plot: The author takes the historical timelines of both the USSR and the USA's progress toward a moon landing and lays them out side by side. What a great idea! Too often American audiences are not given both sides of the space race. Sure, we got to the moon first, but the More...
Plot: The author takes the historical timelines of both the USSR and the USA's progress toward a moon landing and lays them out side by side. What a great idea! Too often American audiences are not given both sides of the space race. Sure, we got to the moon first, but the More...
Jul 28, 2009
Larry
rated it:
An excellent read about the efforts that led to man landing on the moon, from Jules Verne's fictional propositions to the efforts between the Soviet Union and the U.S. to advance rocketry and manned space flights in a short period of time.
The interesting part is that the author doesn't consider the moon landing to be the climax; instead, he focuses on the excitement of the astronauts when they see the Earth as a big blue marble from lunar orbits. Factoids are sprinkled throughout t More...
The interesting part is that the author doesn't consider the moon landing to be the climax; instead, he focuses on the excitement of the astronauts when they see the Earth as a big blue marble from lunar orbits. Factoids are sprinkled throughout t More...
Dec 05, 2009
Lars
rated it:
I read this in conjunction with Brian Floca's picture book, 'Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11.' Both books commemorate the fortieth anniversary of the giant step. I thought 'Moonshot' the better of the two. I love Floca's deft lines and keeping the story simple works better in these formats (picture book and comic book). There is almost too much info in 'T-minus,' which begins at T-minus 12 years, just prior to the Soviet Union launching Sputnik.
No, actually, even before, as it More...
No, actually, even before, as it More...
Dec 19, 2009
David
rated it:
Very moving graphic novel that chronicles the space race between the Soviet Union and the United States, from the launch of Sputnik in 1957 to the landing on the moon by Apollo 11 in 1969. I liked the inclusion of the Soviet contribution to space exploration, (the Russians had the first satellite, the first man in space--Yuri Gagarin in 1961--as well as the first WOMAN in space--in 1963!--and the first space walk in 1965.) After 1965, the U.S. pulled away with the Gemini program and ended up o
More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Jul 20, 2009
Robin
rated it:
Jim Ottaviani is known for the non-fiction graphic novels that he has created and primarily self-published up until this point. Now that Aladdin, a division of Simon & Schuster, has released this amazing story of space flight illustrated by Kevin Cannon and Zander Cannon, I think he will receive some more recognition. Although I've read books like "The Right Stuff" and "Apollo 13," I was fascinated by this book because I think the illustrations helped enhance my understanding
More...
Jul 28, 2011
Possibly a good fit for space fanatics and science geeks, however this story felt flat to me. So much space was spent on the science and the competitiveness of the space race that I completely lost sight of the people in the story. I often couldn't tell them apart or remember their names. I'm sure some people wouldn't find that a problem but it was a deal breaker for me. I recommend for a very limited audience.
Apr 01, 2010
Bonnie
rated it:
A factual depiction in graphic novel format of the race to the moon between the US and the USSR. The parallel advancements and setbacks between the two countries are clearly shown with side panels of launches and missions and both the astronauts and cosmonauts are touchingly portrayed. A great overview for interested students of all ages.
Mar 03, 2010
Jason
rated it:
Obviously very condensed to fit the major events into 124 pages. Enjoyable and engaging, and very well drawn over-all. There were a few faces that were not rendered well (individual faces in individual panels) but that was more something I noticed than a huge distraction. Nicely paced also.
Nov 29, 2009
Raja99
rated it:
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Ok, so the graphic design sometimes trumps readability, and it's occasionally hard to figure out the reading order, but apart from that it was terrific, and I learned quite a bit--and I'm already pretty well read in this topic ;-)
(Finished 2009-10-06 13:17 EDT)
(Finished 2009-10-06 13:17 EDT)
Jul 19, 2010
Raina
rated it: 
I guess I'm just not a science girl. I got a few pages into this and decided I'd seen enough and I knew the end ("One small step..."). There wasn't anything unique to hold my interest. But I'm sure for a sciencey kid, this would be great. Just not psyched enough to booktalk it.
May 04, 2011
Ryan
rated it:
I wrote up my complete thoughts, though not necessarily as a review on iFanboy.
Go and read: SCIENCE used for the Right Stuff: T-Minus, The Race to the Moon
Go and read: SCIENCE used for the Right Stuff: T-Minus, The Race to the Moon
Mar 12, 2010
raman
rated it:
this was a random pick-up. who knew a historically accurage graphic novel re-telling the space-race to the moon would be so much fun. i stayed up reading this one (even though we all knew the ending) bc i wanted to see what else happened along the way...
Feb 17, 2010
Jason
rated it:
Excellent, but dense. I didn't follow everything that was going on, but the ending was very satisfying. It's only going to appeal to kids with a very specific interest in the subject. Though wouldn't it be wonderful if it were assigned reading in school?!
Aug 22, 2011
Erin
rated it:
Well illustrated, but disjointed and can be a bit dull. Also, the lettering used for the Russian segments was irritating. Every time they used an И for N I cringed and often had to re-read the panel. But if you aren't trying to learn to read Cyrillic and you're a ten year old who is really into space, this would be the perfect for you.
Jan 03, 2010
Jessica
rated it: 
This was one of the most confusing things I have ever read. If the person reading this book had no back round knowledge about the moon race there is no way they could ever know what was going on.
Jul 25, 2009
Jan
rated it:
This is a wonderful graphic novel about the space race chock full of fascinating facts about the space program. I learned quite a few things that I never knew and I'm a space program junkie.
Jan 12, 2011
Jessica
rated it:
Graphic novel about the Moon race between the U.S. and Russia. Very factual. Some of the vocabulary may be difficult for struggling Middle School readers.
Jan 18, 2010
Mrs. Brem
rated it:
If you are interested in the Space Race, this graphic novel is an interesting portrayal of the parallel struggles to outdo each other (U.S. and Russia).
Apr 02, 2010
Abby
rated it:
As American scientists worked furiously to design spacecraft that would put a man on the moon (as Kennedy challenged them to do in 1961), Russian scientists were working just as hard. T-Minus chronicles the Space Race and the many successful and unsuccessful American and Russian missions that led up to the historical 1969 moon landing. The book is very detailed and will please any young scientists curious about the history of the space program. An author's note includes suggestions of resources
More...
Jul 30, 2009
Karl
rated it:
Great graphic condensation of the human and technical drama of the race to put a man on the Moon. The only odd omission is Ham, the space chimp!
Oct 04, 2009
Rae
rated it:
Entertaining and informative graphic novel about the Cold War space race between the United States and Soviet Union.
Aug 15, 2009
Brandy
rated it:
How can you not love Jim Ottaviani's work? Especially when it's about the US and Russia racing to get to the moon?
Oct 19, 2010
Linda
rated it:
Good info on the space race. Reader background info is helpful for understanding the book.
Oct 01, 2010
Emilia
rated it:
Ummmm too sciencey for me. In a way that I felt kept the plot from advancing. Though it was necessary, for education's sake I suppose. I liked the counter-posing of the Russian and American space programs, did actually learn some new stuff, and eventually appreciated the mundanity as necessary for the awesome awesome experience of the first moon landing.
Nice, not my usual stuff, but nice indeed.
Nice, not my usual stuff, but nice indeed.
