Books like Moondust by Andrew Smith

At Culver Creek Boarding School, Miles "Pudge" Halter leaves his uneventful home life to find adventure, only to be drawn into the complex world of Alaska Young – a brilliant, enigmatic student whose presence challenges and changes him forever.

A coming‑of‑age epistolary novel that follows introverted teen Charlie through his freshman year in a 1990s Pittsburgh suburb as he navigates high school, friendship and the challenges of adolescence.

When Clay Jenkins discovers 13 tapes left by his classmate Hannah Baker, who recently committed suicide, he must confront the 13 reasons that drove her to end her life—one of which is him.

Two strangers receive a call that they will die today and use an app to befriend each other, sharing a single unforgettable day that turns into a profound journey of love, friendship, and acceptance.

Eleanor & Park follows two sixteen‑year‑old high school misfits who, across a single school year, find an extraordinary first love that pushes them to confront their insecurities and the challenges of adolescence.

Two teens on the brink of heartbreak and despair find an unlikely friendship that turns their worlds upside‑down, teaching them that hope can bloom even beside the darkest thoughts.

Thirteen‑year‑old Conor struggles with his mother’s cancer and the cruelty of reality until a mysterious monster offers him guidance.

Gandhi's autobiography is a profound exploration of his non-violent resistance to racism and colonialism, as well as his efforts to seek purity and truth through simple living and spiritual devotion.

Aaron Soto, a Bronx teen haunted by poverty and loss, seeks memory‑altering hope at Leteo Institute, finding unexpected love and a path to self‑acceptance.

Set on the Moon, this early Clarke novel follows tourists exploring a vast dust bowl from a flying cruiser, until a grave accident turns a hard science‑fiction adventure into a tense space thriller.

Nine Lives traces the extraordinary lives of nine New Orleanians over forty years, revealing how the city’s history, culture, and repeated storms shape its people and itself.

On July 20, 1969, the world stood still to watch 38-year-old American astronaut Neil A. Armstrong become the first person ever to step on the surface of another heavenly body. Upon his return to Earth, Armstrong was celebrated for his monumental achievement. He was also--as NASA historian Hansen reveals in this authorized biography--misunderstood. Armstrong's accomplishments as an engineer, a test pilot, and an astronaut have long been a matter of record, but Hansen's access to private documents and unpublished sources and his interviews with more than 125 subjects (including more than fifty hours with Armstrong himself) yield the first in-depth analysis of this elusive, reluctant hero. Hansen recreates Armstrong's flying career, from his combat missions over North Korea to his transatmospheric flights in the rocket-powered X-15 to the first-ever docking in space. For a pilot who cared more about flying to the Moon than he did about walking on it, Hansen asserts, Armstrong's storied vocation exacted a dear personal toll, paid in kind by his wife and children.--From publisher description.

A collection of extraordinary decisions that shape history and provide insight into the process of making difficult choices.

After her younger brother Tyler’s suicide, Lexie must navigate grief, a fractured family, and strained friendships, while grappling with memories that linger all too vivid.

July 26-August 7, 2011 marks the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 15 space flight. As command module pilot for the Apollo 15 mission to the Moon, Al Worden flew on what is widely regarded as the greatest exploration mission that humans have ever attempted. Worden has been listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the "most isolated human being" during his time alone in the command module Endeavour. He is one of only 24 people who have journeyed to the Moon, and has exhilarating stories of his mission. - Publisher.

Buzz Aldrin’s memoir recounts his historic Apollo 11 lunar landing, the personal battles with depression and alcoholism, and his eventual redemption as an advocate for future space exploration.

A factual account of the thirteen pioneering women who secretly tested for NASA in 1961, faced rejection, yet went on to leave lasting legacies in aviation and gender equality.

An insightful biography of Thomas Jefferson, placing him within America's history and exploring his legacy in the context of the eighteenth-century Enlightenment and the American Revolution.