posted 03-17-2015 12:03 PM               

A team of middle schoolers prepares for blastoff in this adventure from the author of the New York Times bestselling Mousetronaut, based on the childhoods of real-life astronauts Mark Kelly and his twin brother Scott.

It's a long, hot summer and Scott and Mark are in big trouble for taking apart (aka destroying) their dad's calculator. As a punishment, they're sent to their grandfather's house, where there's no TV and they have to do chores. And Grandpa is less tolerant of the twins' constant bickering. "Why don't you two work together on something constructive. What if you built a go-kart or something?" Grandpa suggests.

But it's not a go-kart the twins are interested in. They want to build a rocket. With the help of Jenny, nicknamed Egg, and a crew of can-do kids, they set out to build a real rocket that will blast off and orbit the Earth. The question soon becomes: which twin will get to be the astronaut?

Written by a NASA astronaut with four space flights under his belt, this exciting story includes extensive back matter on the space program with fantastic facts and details.

• Age Range: 8 - 12 years
  
• Hardcover: 224 pages
  
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books (March 17, 2015)
  
• ISBN-10: 148141545X
  
• ISBN-13: 978-1481415453

posted 03-17-2015 12:08 PM               

Retired astronaut Mark Kelly joins Morning Joe to discuss his new children's book 'Astrotwins: Project Blastoff,' which is based on his childhood with his twin brother Scott.

posted 04-02-2016 10:45 AM               

Twins Mark and Scott discover an abandoned Apollo command module and take off to rescue a stranded Russian cosmonaut in the second Astrotwins adventure from retired NASA astronaut and the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Mousetronaut, Mark Kelly.

Mark and Scott Kelly, who are mostly known for getting in trouble, are finally back from their first space adventure. The twins have wanted to explore space ever since they were little and watched Neil Armstrong walk on the moon. And when they hear that a Russian cosmonaut is trapped inside the Salyut space station now orbiting 220 miles above the surface of the Earth, they wish they could find a way to help.

While staying in the countryside at their grandfather's house with their friend Jenny (aka Egg), the twins repurpose a NASA Titan 2 rocket ship being stored nearby. Complete with spacesuits and snacks, the twins take off to rescue the Russian spacecraft. Will they ever see their family or their grandfather's backyard again?

Written by a NASA astronaut with four space flights under his belt, the second exciting Astrotwins story includes extensive back matter on the space program with fantastic facts and details.

• Age Range: 8 - 12 years
  
• Hardcover: 256 pages
  
• Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books (March 1, 2016)
  
• ISBN-10: 1481424580
  
• ISBN-13: 978-1481424585