Sydney & Simon To the moon!

In this third installment (Full Steam Ahead!; Go Green!), mice twins Sydney and Simon each create moon-related science projects for a school contest to meet their astronaut hero. Their efforts only succeed when the twins work together to combine science with creativity. Short chapters effortlessly incorporate moon facts, while full-color ink and watercolor-wash illustrations round out this informative STEAM story. Glos. (c) Copyright 2018. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

The STEAM twins are back in a new adventure (Go Green!, 2015, etc.), this time competing against each other to win a chance to meet famous astronaut Cmdr. Kris Kornfield. As soon as she spies the poster announcing the contest, creative, artsy Sydney has her ideaa 3-D model of the moonand for a change, she isn't sharing it with her twin: she wants to win more than she wants to team with her brother. Simon is rather at loose ends on his own but makes observations and does research about the moon each night, educating readers about its phases and introducing solid science vocabulary. The mouse twins' parents subtly try to point out the two are missing critical pieces, but it's not until Ms. Fractalini introduces them to the work of Galileo that the twins see what's missing. Now a team, they use a homemade telescope to make observations and the 3-D printer in the Makerspace Lab of their public library to print an accurate puzzle of the moon's phases. Their classmates' projects don't all combine all the STEAM elements: there's a poem, a crater model, a spaceship model, and a toothpick house that might someday be built on the moon. In this outing, the Reynoldses make Simon and Sydney a bit more kidlike than in prior outings, with their flaws and their enthusiasm. The learning readers will pick up about the moon is virtually painless, and Cmdr. Kornfield's reveal is a nice touch. Another STEAM winner. (glossary, note) (Fiction. 7-10) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

A Stellar Challenge Wonder Falls Elementary School was having a special STEAM contest: submit the most creative project about Earth's moon, and win first prize. First prize was the chance to meet astronaut Commander Kris Kornfield! Sydney and Simon thought this was absolutely out of this world. Excerpted from Sydney and Simon: To the Moon and Beyond! by Paul A. Reynolds All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.