FROM FARMWORKER TO ASTRONAUT / DE CAMPESINO A ASTRONAUTA

Hernández’s amazing journey from toiling in a field of cucumbers to floating among a field of stars is a powerful tale of perseverance.

After 10-year-old José announces his intention to explore space one day, his Mexican-born father sits him down and gives him the formula he will need to achieve his goal. As Hernández plows through obstacle after obstacle, from learning to speak English to attending university classes on only three hours of sleep after working eight-hour shifts in a cannery, his father’s lessons keep him going. When NASA accepts his 12th application, the former farmworker finally realizes his life’s dream of becoming an astronaut. In marked contrast to his stellar picture-book account, The Boy Who Touched the Stars / El Niño Que Alcanzó las Estrellas (2019), Hernández’s middle-grade autobiography is a mixed bag of dense technological jargon and inspiring personal triumphs. Readers must persist through the entire first chapter, which reads like a science blog, before getting a glimpse of the child who would become an American hero. Instead of ending his incredible story with the words of encouragement that “You’re never too old to dream, let alone make those dreams a reality,” he meanders along for another three pages, the final paragraph falling flat with philosophical musings.

Despite weaknesses, this account of triumph over adversity may successfully ignite the same drive in other kids.