I was lucky enough to be assigned Rocket Boys, a non-fiction novel written by Homer Hickam, Jr., as my summer reading. It is about a group of boys who live in the coal-mining town of Coalwood. They are inspired by events in Russia and the United States involving the space program. The boys all attend high school and have known each other since they were kids. They attempt to build rockets and run into trouble along the way. Whether it is a lack of money, an erosion problem with the nozzle, or injury, the "Rocket Boys" always accomplish their goals through hard work and perseverance.

Rocket Boys is a very well written novel. I thought the story was very interesting as it applies to society today. It teaches people to never give up and if you keep on trying you will eventually succeed. I hope people who read this book are as inspired as I am to try harder after reading how this group of students from a small coal-mining town could beat the odds and eventually go on to win first place at the National Science Fair, even though they were not rich and were unable to afford the best materials for the project. This book is very inspiring and it helped me to bring my determination to a new level.

I would definitely recommend Rocket Boys to anyone looking for a good book to read. I never wanted to put the book down. I was always feeling an emotion whether it was suspense, anger, or sadness. I like how he wrote it from different perspectives at certain times. For example, he wrote most of the book from his own perspective but he wrote what Roy Lee was thinking when Sonny cut his wrist digging up the iron pipes beneath the train tracks to earn money for their propellant. In the book Rocket Boys, Homer Hickam teaches us to "Aim High!"