Escape the Vortex

Voyagers #5

by Jeanne DuPrau

The action is on the page, on your device, and out of this world! This multiplatform series is part sci-fi, part eco-mystery, all action-adventure. And you don’t have long to wait—six books are coming all in one year!
 
Earth is in danger! The only thing that can save our planet are six essential elements that can fuse into a new source of clean energy. But the elements are scattered throughout the galaxy. And it’s up to the Voyagers—a team of four remarkable kids and an alien—to gather them all and return to Earth.
 
Planet Tundra may look like a giant marshmallow, but this is no winter wonderland—it’s a winter nightmare! This frozen landscape is the deadliest the Voyagers have encountered yet. Then, when the Omega team finds themselves in trouble, only Team Alpha can save them. But if the tables were turned, would the Omegas do the same?

Genres: Science Fiction, Middle Grade, Audiobook, Adventure, Space, Childrens, Action

208 pages, Library Binding

First published May 3, 2016

About the author

Jeanne DuPrau is an American writer, best known for The Books of Ember, a series of science fiction novels for young people. She lives in Menlo Park, California.

Reviews

[Anita · Rating 5 out of 5]

The two teams head to the ice planet, Planet Tundra, to extract an element found only in the ice crystals in the blood of enormous walrus-like creatures called Ice Crawlers. They consume teeny, tiny ice grasshopper-like creatures that swarm on the planet's surface, which is ravaged by wind storms. Exposure to the freezing temps is fatal to the kids. So you kinda know, that's where all this is headed.

The book starts with Piper trying to escape her captivity on Team Omega's ship. She's not been harmed, but she's bored to tears waiting for Team Alpha to rescue her, so she starts to plan her own escape.

On Team Alpha, Gabriel is planning Piper's rescue. He just has to wait until Dash and the others leave for the Tundra surface so he can get the ball rolling.

Of course, once Dash and Carly are actually on the planet, nothing goes as planned. Team Omega is there too, with Anna beating them to the Ice Crawlers (and coming up empty, but Dash and Carly don't know that. They crack the windshield on their vehicle racing to the Ice Crawlers and have to seek shelter in a cave before they freeze to death. They get their own ice crystal sample (I won't ruin it and say how), but by then Anna's in trouble, her vehicle having been flipped into a strange lake of a mercury-like substance that will surely kill her. Dash does the right thing, and needs Colin and Gabriel's help just as Gabriel is about to implement his rescue plan...

I won't spoil how it ends! This was a great, fun read!

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[Buchwelten · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Die Erde ist in Gefahr. Sämtliche Energie-Ressourcen sind ausgebeutet. Nur die Voyagers können in den Weiten des Universums die sechs Elemente finden, die zusammen eine neue Energie-Quelle bilden."

Der vorletzte Teil der Reihe schafft es, den Spannungsbogen nochmal zu erhöhen. Was den Protagonisten hier abverlangt wird, ist enorm. Leider ist der Schreibstil nicht ganz so bildhaft, so dass es hier und da für mich etwas holperig war, mir ein Bild davon zu machen, wie genau diverse Szenen ausgesehen haben könnten. Doch die Charakter-Entwicklung einer Protagonistin macht dieses Manko wieder wett. Es ist schön, dass auch hier wieder der Faden aufgegriffen wurde, in der Story wichtige Werte zu transportieren. Lehrreich und spannend zugleich. Ein furioser Auftakt für das Finale.

[AMY · Rating 4 out of 5]

196 pages. In this volume, the crews encounter lots of trouble as they land on Planet Tundra, an icy planet. Gigantic monsters called Ice Crawlers hold the key to the next element they need to secure. The Omega team finds itself in trouble and only the Alpha team can save them. But is Alpha even going to help them after what Anna pulled last time, kidnapping Piper? This one was a little bit more exciting with the drama and plot moving a bit faster. We are nearing the end of the series and I cannot wait to see how it all ends. Highly recommended for Grades 4-5.

[Kelly Gimmler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cold, cold, cold....no wonder marshmallows are pure as snow and not blue like rain. This new planet brings across a freezing chance to have the team eventually need to save their other (rival) team. With that, some moral development ties into this story, whether a reader realizes it or not. The team is working hard as ever and in the midst need to learn to do what is right! Still good for 5-8 and sci fi.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Alpha and the Omega team have to compete in the subzero temperatures of Planet Tundra to retrieve the 6th element to save Earth. Along the journey, they encounter certain difficulties so it's up to each team to decide to work together or to abandon the other team... Who will get the crystals and make it home first?

[Libros Algo más · Rating 4 out of 5]

muy bueno!!! que final!!! necesito el ultimo libro ya!!!!

[Megan J. Walvoord · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this series and I love Jeanne DuPrau's writing! There were a few parts that seemed a bit wordy. I was surprised which vortex the teens had to escape. Reading this for writing reasearch.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun adventure yet again.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ties in nicely with expected loose ends for last book, like Anna beginning to resolving her selfish was and Dash becoming ill. Cliff hanger at end with Piper seeming to have died.

[Brett Harris]

Very good book.

[Ranette · Rating 4 out of 5]

in a spaceship on a cold planet two teams challenge each other to be the first to get the prize. Who will save the good? And who will get the crystals?

[Dash H · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just saying I honestly think these types of books are super boring. Like each book is find this, then next is book find this. No roadblocks oh no some flashy villain comes and you have to get rid of him/her, and then get back to doing what your doing. I mean the first book was cool. Then the second book was like "alright as the last one but I'm fine" the third was "getting kind of repetitive". Then the fourth was like quitting halfway through. I'm not trying to be a hater but these books get really bad really fast. Enough said the book starts out with... this book was so boring I forgot how it started and ended. Anyways this team of kids have to go to a planet that's below absolute zero and they have to get an ice crystal out of a polar bear/walrus that eats parasites. But another team is racing them. The only thing I liked about this is was a steel liquid whirl pool that can stay a liquid in below absolute zero weather. Otherwise this book was (no offense) absolute trash!

[Thomas Norstein · Rating 4 out of 5]

Did Carly seriously just pull a Frozen pun? Oh, this is going to be a fun book...

Earlier this year, I read The City of Ember. It was nice seeing a familiar author in this series, as I have no idea who the others were. That being said, I did have some higher expectations for this book. I think they were met pretty well.

The fifth installment of the Voyagers series takes place on the planet Tundra. With the temperatures so cold that it's impossible to breathe the air there, the Alphas and the Omegas race to get the next element; zero crystals from a huge ice crawler. With Piper still hostage on the Light Blade, and Dash's anti-aging shots wearing out, the Alpha's are in for a rough finish...

DuPrau wrote this book fantastically. It truly felt like a real planet that existed somewhere. The way she described the crawlers and the locusts in a way that brought them to life. I was impressed.

Finally, there Anna isn't going to be such a jerk anymore... What a relief.

My main 'problem' with this book was that the ending... Didn't feel like a cliff hanger. It more or less just stated a fact. The ship was in flames. It could've added some more details to make it sound more final and more dramatic. After all, this is the second to last book in the series.

Overall though, I liked this book. Time to see what happens in the finale!

[Mark Buxton · Rating 4 out of 5]

My name is Anna. My Omega team must retrieve zero crystals, the fifth element needed to create the Source, from inside ice crawlers before the Alpha team. The fact that ice crawlers are huge snow creatures, and that the frigid temperatures on the planet will kill us instantly, will be a problem. I know the Alpha team is still ticked off that I kidnapped Piper, but it guarantees they won't leave us behind when it's time for Gamma Speed. My crew seems upset by this, but hey, I'm the leader. Winning is everything. Right now, I'm on the planet's surface, and things aren't going as I planned. My first attempt at the crystals failed, and I've discovered how angry mother ice crawlers can be when protecting their babies. We're nearing the end of our quest to save Earth, but I have a bad feeling that I won't survive this mission.

My comments about this book are very similar to the previous books in the series, so you should read my other posts. A couple of my earlier predictions have come true in this book. Dash's illness, storage of an earlier element, and morale on the Omega ship have all become big issues in this book. I enjoy the fast pace of the books, as I've been able to read each of them in about a day. The plots are easy to follow, and they're full of adventure and action. The books are accompanied by a website that has additional information and activities. I know there is a sixth book in the series, and I assume it will be the last even though it's titled The Seventh Element.

[Ally Goodwin · Rating 3 out of 5]

enjoying the series; edge of the seat adventure -- will they make it or won't they?

[Library Lea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Major cliffhanger. You may want to wait until you can read the 6th and final book right after finishing this one.

[Library Lea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite a cliffhanger, you may want to wait until the 6th one is out because after volume 5, you will want to read it right away.

[Karsyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh. Better story than last time. Anna still a bitch and had to start the next book to make sure nothing bad happened.