Kalpana was born in India. She came to the US to study aerospace engineering. While on board the space shuttle, she became the first Asian American woman in space. This ground-breaking book is the first children's bio about an Asian Indian American. This story shows the grit of a true Asian American hero, a woman who defied the status quo snd earned herself a place in the stars. --Priti Rao, Commissioner, Massachusetts Asian American Commission To grasp opportunity with passion and tenacity: this defines the Explorer. Ms. Louie's story of Kalpana's journey conveys with grace the pure joy of exploration. --Joel Krajewski, Curiosity Mars Rover Engineer, Jet Propulsion Laborastory Astronaut Kalpana Chawla paves the road for the future of non-fiction children s literature. It is the first South Asian children's biography. The books that line library shelves are undergoing a major transformation. Diversity in children s literature means that future generations will read books about characters that are similar to themselves. This simple representation gives children an incredible sense of pride about their own culture, which plays an undoubtedly critical role as they develop their own cultural identities. --Anjali Joshi, MasalaMommas.com/2014/09/03/children's-book-on-kalpana-chawla/ Born in India, Kalpana was a girl who liked to wear pants. She was crazy about airplanes and judo and going to the United States to study the science of flight."No, that's for boys," she was told. How she got herself aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia for its last tragic trip was the journey of a lifetime. Ai-Ling Louie is the author of Yeh-Shen: A Cinderella Story from China (Philomel/Putnam), Vera Wang, Queen of Fashion , and Yo-Yo & Yeou-Cheng Ma, Finding Their Way (both Dragoneagle). She was an elementary school teacher and a children's librarian. Now she devotes her time to writing. Ms. Louie's pets are her aquarium fish.