Lucky 13: Survival in Space [Hardcover]

Richard Hilliard (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2008 | Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up

Heroism in outer space is the legacy of the lunar mission Apollo 13. On April 11, 1970, astronauts Jim Lovell, Fred Haise, and Jack Swigert were launched into space as the crew of Apollo 13. Their mission, like the missions of Apollo 11 and Apollo 12, was to explore the lunar surface. But that mission was never completed. As they began the procedure for landing on the Moon, the spacecraft was rocked by a violent explosion. Oxygen began pouring out of the Service Module, and the spacecraft began to lose power. Jim Lovell radioed Mission Control with the now-famous words, "Houston, we have a problem." All over the world, people followed the plight of the astronauts. Richard Hilliard examines the crisis of Apollo 13, one of the great survival stories of the space age, in a lively text and dramatic illustrations.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 2–4—The author of Godspeed, John Glenn (Boyds Mills, 2006) and other accounts of space-program highlights describes the disastrous Apollo 13 mission for younger readers. With a combination of brief overview narrative, more detailed sidebar explanations, and full- or nearly full-spread paintings done in a realistic style, Hilliard covers the basic facts in a systematic way, but he writes in a wooden, matter-of-fact tone that robs the episode of much of its terror and suspense. For example, "Jim's wife, Marilyn, stayed in constant contact with Houston and hoped that, against all odds, her husband would return to her and their children." Similarly, the figures in the paintings are usually in static poses, often seen from the back or with faces in shadow. The important task of making children aware of our achievements in space exploration needs all the help it can get, but is better served by more vivid retellings, such as Ian Graham's You Wouldn't Want to Be on Apollo 13! (Watts, 2003) or Mark Beyer's Crisis in Space: Apollo 13 (Children's Press, 2002).—John Peters, New York Public Library
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From Booklist

The Apollo 13 spacecraft was moonward bound when an explosion damaged the ship, forcing the astronauts to abandon the mission’s original goals and focus on a new one: returning safely to Earth. Hilliard tells the story through two texts, one that would work better for reading aloud in the classroom and (appearing in sidebars in smaller print) another that fills in more details. The main text is competently written, but the story’s inherent drama is more evident in the detailed accounts and the artwork. A typical double-page spread includes a large-scale acrylic painting with the main text superimposed, accompanied by an illustrated, vertical sidebar. Though some of the large illustrations have the static look of painted or digitally altered photos, they are often dramatic and show up well from a distance. Children intrigued by the space program will enjoy this large-format book from the author/illustrator of Neil, Buzz, and Mike Go to the Moon (2005) and Godspeed, John Glenn (2006). Grades 2-4. --Carolyn Phelan

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Boyds Mills Pr; Library Binding edition (October 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590785576
• ISBN-13: 978-1590785577
• Product Dimensions: 13 x 9.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,912,636 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #66 in Books > Children's Books > Science, Nature & How It Works > Inventions & Inventors

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Book!, December 14, 2009

By 

G. Smith "luvs2rd" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lucky 13: Survival in Space (Hardcover)

While visiting the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum Annex near Dulles Airport with my young grandson, we spotted an author's table near the gift shop. Mr. Hilliard was signing autographs and selling four of his books for chldren. After checking out the titles, my grandson selected Lucky 13. Mr. Hilliard signed it for him by name and even took the name to make a small sketch of a heat shield beside his inscription. It was all very nice, but the best part was actually when we sat down to read the book. As a former kindergarten teacher, I've read many run-of-the-mill books with pretty illustrations. Likewise, I've read many great stories with inferior illustrations. Lucky 13 is an appealing blend of interestingly told story AND beautiful illustrations. Very well done! As an aside, my grandson can be a little sensitive to "scary" events, so I was concerned to see how he would react to the very real peril of the astronauts' emergency situation. My opinion is that Mr. Hilliard did an excellent job of relaying the drama of the situation in an age-appropriate way.
I highly recommend this title and plan to purchase other titles in the future!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Get ready to count down for some fun with this gorgeous, exciting book!, May 14, 2009

By 

D. Fowler "Dragonfly77" (Vermont) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lucky 13: Survival in Space (Hardcover)

"Houston, we have a problem." Somewhere in the Apollo 13 Command Module there was an explosion and "precious oxygen was pouring out the side of the Service Module." Jim Lovell, Fred Haise and Jack Swigert were in trouble. Big trouble. Instead of landing on the moon they were going to have to figure out how to make it back to earth safely. The only way they could make it was luck, their skill and that of Mission Control in Houston. Their dream of landing on the moon was gone in an instant.

As many young boys in the 1930s dreamed of outer space. Jim Lovell read about it too and dreamed that he too might be one of the lucky ones who would be a space traveler. Now his main focus was saving his crew and getting back to Earth. The ship was badly damaged and the Lunar Module, a lightweight, delicate craft, was now their "lifeboat." Fred was becoming ill and the crucial calculations that could mean the difference between life and death were being worked out by Jim . . . with a pencil and paper. Would they make it back to Earth? Is the number thirteen really that unlucky?

The art work in this book is very realistic and stunning. The sidebars in this book give detailed, scientific explanation of the flight. The print in these is quite small and a lot of information is packed in each one. If you have a space flight fanatic (or are one yourself) I might like to recommend "Moonshot: the Flight of Apollo 11" and if you don't already have it, the Apollo 13 movie starring Tom Hanks. Get ready to count down for some fun!

4.0 out of 5 stars Great read for children, September 6, 2010

By 

davidmoreno - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Lucky 13: Survival in Space (Hardcover)

I bought this book for my son, who is 7. He liked the pictures and the print was reasonably large enough for him to read. He was done with the book in minutes.