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    I Love You, Michael Collins
    I Love You, Michael Collins
    I Love You, Michael Collins
    Audiobook6 hours

    I Love You, Michael Collins

    Written by Lauren Baratz-Logsted

    Narrated by Amy Melissa Bentley

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    It's 1969 and the country is gearing up for what looks to be the most exciting moment in U.S. history: men landing on the moon.

    Ten-year-old Mamie's class is given an assignment to write letters to the astronauts. All the girls write to Neil Armstrong ("So cute!") and all the boys write to Buzz Aldrin ("So cool!"). Only Mamie writes to Michael Collins, the astronaut who will come so close but never achieve everyone else's dream of walking on the moon, because he is the one who must stay with the ship. After school ends, Mamie keeps writing to Michael Collins, taking comfort in telling someone about what's going on with her family as, one by one, they leave the house thinking that someone else is taking care of her-until she is all alone except for her cat and her best friend, Buster. And as the date of the launch nears, Mamie can't help but wonder: Does no one stay with the ship anymore?

    With I Love You, Michael Collins, Lauren Baratz-Logsted has created a heartwarming story about family and being true to yourself.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateMay 14, 2019
    ISBN9781977339751
    Author

    Lauren Baratz-Logsted

    Lauren Baratz-Logsted has written books for all ages. Her books for children and young adults include the Sisters Eight series, The Education of Bet and Crazy Beautiful. She lives with her family in Danbury, Connecticut.

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    Reviews for I Love You, Michael Collins

    4/5

    32 ratings5 reviews

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    • 5/5
      So good! My children and I really enjoyed this book! Mamie is a lovely character. I fell in love with her! My children enjoyed her perspective throughout the book. Wow, what a different time she lived in. The book was so well written and flowed well. We are doing a space unit study and it is so nice to have a book about Michael Collins to read even though it is a work of fiction. We loved it and highly recommend it!
    • 4/5
      10-year-old Mamie and her best friend and next door neighbor, Buster, are excited about watching Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins launch Apollo 11 to the moon. Mamie's teacher asks the kids in her class to each write a letter to one of the astronauts. Everyone chooses Aldrin or Armstrong, because they will be walking on the moon, while Michael Collins just stays in the Columbia module orbiting the moon. But Mamie is more impressed with Collins dedication to staying behind in the less glamorous position and making it possible for the others, so she writes to him. And keeps writing to him. The entire book is made up of Mamie's letters to Michael Collins, as she shares with him all the details of her life.And Mamie's family is struggling. First, her mother, fed up with her husband, walks out on the family one day, without so much as a good bye to anyone. Then when he realizes where his wife has gone, Mamie's father takes off after her, leaving Mamie in the care of her (worthless) 16-year-old sister Bess. In the end, Bess leaves too, abandoning a 10-year-old to get by on her own for an indefinite period. This is a reflection of course, of her favorite astronaut, Michael Collins, who is left alone to man the base ship.I loved Mamie and her friend Buster. They made the book worth reading. What holds me back from a full scale endorsement is the way Mamie's family one by one abandons her. In the book, there is a happy ending when everyone comes home. But in the real world, social services would have stepped in, and Mamie's parents would likely have lost custody of their children for abandoning them, and perhaps even gone on trial for child neglect. None of that is touched on. So as much as I liked Mamie and the story in many ways, I was deeply bothered that her family abandoned her one by one, and that as much as that did distress her, it didn't distress her nearly to the depth that such actions would in reality.
    • 4/5
      Working through this year's Golden Sower nominees. Nice epistolary novel that would be totally accessible to teach young children how to write a novel through letters. Loved that I learned who the third man was in the Apollo 11 crew...I never knew his name. Did not expect the final letter to have the emotional impact that it did. Listened to this book via Libby.
    • 5/5
      1969. Ten-year-old Mamie is preparing, with the rest of the world, for men to walk on the moon. But while most are focused on Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, she's especially rooting for Michael Collins, who must remain alone on the ship in order for the mission to succeed. What begins as a class assignment to write to one of the astronauts turns into a series of letters as Mamie reflects on her determination to remain home while everyone around her leaves, one by one—except for her steadfast and best friend, Buster. I was a child in the late 60s and enjoyed Baratz-Logsted's references to TV dinners (a novelty then), no AC in the car, etc. Sounds corny, but it made me nostalgic for a simpler time, especially during these crazed Covid-19 days. And I learned more than I ever knew about space flight thanks to Buster.More than that, it's a sweet story about family, friendship, and realizing that we have it in us not only to survive rough times, but to thrive. As Mamie discovers, we are all more resilient and independent than we know. That's an important message, particularly now. Definitely adding this CT Nutmeg Nominee to our grade 4/5 school library.
    • 4/5
      Mamie starts writing letters to astronaut Michael Collins. She's put off that all the boys in her class express the desire to be astronaut and all the girls in her class say they want to marry an astronaut. She doesn't know what she wants to do, but she doesn't fit in either category. The whole letter is written in a series of letters to Michael Collins about his journey to the moon but also about her life which is a little rocky. During this time her mom leaves, wanting to have more independence and control in her life. Her dad goes after her mom. Her oldest sister had already left home and her other sister spends all her time with her boyfriend. In essence, Mamie is on her own for awhile to fend for herself. She spends every day with her best friend Buster. The two are fascinated with the trip to the moon and support each other.