Book Review: A Smile as Big as the Moon by Mike Kersjes

The students that nobody wanted. The students that were picked on the most. The students that everyone labeled as "losers." I am describing a Special Education class in Michigan. Mike Kersjes was the teacher for these students. A Smile as Big as the Moon follows this class of unwanted misfits as they go against all odds to make it to Space Camp. They battle the authorities that stand in their way. They battle their community and peers' skepticism. But after a year of training, fundraising events, and even more skepticism, this group of teenagers made it to Space Camp and proved that anyone can be a winner. They work extremely hard to prepare for Space Camp; they learn to swim, they learn countless acronyms, they learn the names of different parts of a space shuttle, they learn to build model rockets, and they learn to be a team. Mike Kersjes tells their story in a compelling way that made me understand each character and hope that they would come up on top. I was excited with their successes and disappointed right along with the students when something went wrong. This book was amazing and I recommend it to everyone. It proves that anyone can do anything. Please read this book!