''Apollo 8: The Mission That Changed Everything'' is a 2018 nonfiction children's book by American author Martin W. Sandler. The book, which includes numerous historical photographs, details the historical significance of the

Apollo 8 Apollo 8 (December 21–27, 1968) was the first crewed spacecraft to leave Sphere of influence (astrodynamics), Earth's gravitational sphere of influence, and the first human spaceflight to reach the Moon. The crew orbited the Moon ten times ...

mission, discussing the "broader context of the Cold War

space race The Space Race (, ) was a 20th-century competition between the Cold War rivals, the United States and the Soviet Union, to achieve superior spaceflight capability. It had its origins in the ballistic missile-based nuclear arms race between t ...

and the tumultuous events occurring in the United States", including the assassinations of

Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister, civil and political rights, civil rights activist and political philosopher who was a leader of the civil rights move ...

and

Robert F. Kennedy Robert Francis Kennedy (November 20, 1925 – June 6, 1968), also known as RFK, was an American politician and lawyer. He served as the 64th United States attorney general from January 1961 to September 1964, and as a U.S. senator from New Yo ...

, as well as growing contestations regarding the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

. Further, ''Apollo 8'' "explores the colossal impact of the mission on the American psyche". ''Apollo 8'' was well received by critics. According to ''

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus. The magazine's publisher, Kirkus Media, is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fiction, no ...

'', ''Apollo 8'' provides "a compelling account of the historical significance of a lesser-known space mission". They highlighted "Sandler's discussion of the iconic ''Earthrise'' photograph and how it 'became a symbol of the Earth's fragility, a reminder of just how small and insignificant the Earth's place in the universe truly is.'" Elizabeth Bush, writing for ''

The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books ''The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books'' is an academic journal established in 1945 by Frances E. Henne ( University of Chicago Graduate Library School).Wedgeworth, Robert. ''World Encyclopedia of Library and Information Services''. C ...

'', described ''Apollo 8'' as a "nail-biting true adventure" as "Sandler deals equally well with technical and personal narrative threads, explaining the challenges of navigation and reentry and attending to the very different personalities crammed into the tiny command capsule." She further highlighted how Sanders "pays serious attention to the cultural impact of the mission, whose photographs of Earthrise inspired a fresh way of looking at the home planet and of appreciating its fragility, thus advancing not only the space program but also the ecology movement". ''Apollo 8'' is a

Junior Library Guild Junior Library Guild, formerly the Junior Literary Guild, is a commercial Book sales club, book club devoted to juvenile literature. It was created in 1929 as one of the enterprises of the Literary Guild, an adult book club created in 1927 by Samue ...

book. In 2018, it was a finalist for the Cybils Award for Junior High Nonfiction. The following year,

Bank Street College of Education Bank Street College of Education is a private school and graduate school in New York City. It consists of a graduate-only teacher training college and an independent nursery-through-8th-grade school. In 2020 the graduate school had about 65 ful ...

named it a history book of "outstanding merit" for children ages 12-14.

References

{{Reflist Candlewick Press books 2018 non-fiction books Apollo 8 2018 children's books